RWBY: Shadows
by OPFan37
Summary: (Volume 3: LIFE) A weapon. A prodigy. A failure. Emin is viewed as many things, trapped within the walls of Beacon Academy with a great, unwanted responsibility thrust upon him, he feels alone in the place that is supposed to protect him. But one day, he meets people who see him for who he is without the titles. Now, he must face new enemies, new challenges, and his painful past.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Purple Trailer 

The room was quiet, empty, and dark, a feeling of tense patience blaketed the area as three figures sat waiting.

The first sat behind a desk, and had white hair that fell down of its own accord, whilst he wore a formal dark coloured suit and thin framed circular dark glasses, whilst a cane leant against the side of his chair.

The second, standing up, was a woman with blonde hair, tied neatly back, wearing a white shirt with a black business skirt, and sharp glasses that framed her green eyes.

The third, also standing, was a lanky male with caucasian skin, with icy blue eyes and dark blue hair that fell down in a curve at his sides and back, whilst it curved to the left as it fell across his forehead to cover his entire forehead and just cut across the top of his right eye. He wore a dark blue suit with four gold buttons at the waist, thin light blue stripes up the torso and along the sleeves, and a breast pocket at the left side with a white napkin folded into a diamond shape sticking out of it. Under this he wore a sky blue shirt, as evidenced by the sleeves and the collar, with a white tie hanging out of both of them, extending down to his stomach. The trousers he wore were identical to his shirt, with his hands casually placed in his pockets with his thumbs sticking out, along with a pair of dark brown black laced tap shoes.

Just then, a screen appeared before the three, illuminating the room. It depicted what looked like a forest, though the trunks of the trees were black, and the leaves were a dark orange, despite it not being spring. Rocks jutted out as spikes randomly, as streams of water zigzagged in between them, constantly trapped by the dominating spires.

"I see you've arrived safely." The white haired man said.

"Yeah..." A voice on the end said in a quiet tone.

"You know what to do." The blonde haired woman stated.

"Yeah..." The voice echoed.

"Hey, don't worry." The blue haired man spoke. "You'll be fine. Knock 'em dead."

"Thanks, Azure." The voice said.

Azure smirked as he glanced at the blonde. "Trust me, Glynda, he's really improved."

"Actions speak louder then words." Glynda replied.

"Let's let him decide his actions for himself, shall we?" The white haired man suggested.

"Of course, Professor Ozpin." They both nodded.

 _RWBY_

The sound of crunching leaves could be heard as the figure walked through the forest, a device attached to the left side of his head broadcasting the visuals back to the three viewers.

He seemed average in terms of body structure, regular sized body, limbs, head, nothing unusual, and had pale skin, the kind that didn't see the sun often, as two light green eyes shone brightly in the night. His purple hair was surprisingly bright through the darkness, and was mainly swept back, apart from where it messily stuck out at the back left and at the top forward right of his head, whilst most of it curved around the right side of his head in a crescent shape, to below his right eye, with the left side just hanging above his left eye.

He wore a dark purple thin open jacket with no zip, the arms extending down to just below the beginning og his fingers, and were very baggy, more hanging off of his arms then actually fitting them. The wrists had a dark green line circling around them, with the colour spiking off down to the elbow at the front, back, and both sides of the hands, with the same line framing the edges of it at the open middle and the edge at the bottom, though these ones didn't extend off, as two toggles fell from the base of the neck, each with a black diamond on the end of them. Underneath this jacket he wore a dark red shirt with a black stylised fleur-de-lis imprint on the chest, with the two arms curving upwards then spiking down like scythes, whilst the bottom of it stretched down to the stomach and spiked into three diamonds, one pointing down, another pointing left, and the last pointing right, whilst the top spiked out in both diagonals like a 'V' shape, the shirt being tucked tucked into his trousers. The trousers in question were skinny indigo coloured ones with big square pockets at the side buttoned up at the top with a single gold one each, whilst he wore plain black slip-on shoes with a wide sole.

Finally, strapped to his back was what a four pointed shuriken that was twice as big as his head, shing obsidian black in colour, with a square handle in the centre, and neon green curving stripes around the edges for emphasis.

After a few moments he stopped, and looked over his shoulder.

Low growling had broken the silence, as black shadows began to emerge from behind the trees. They took the shapes of what could only to be likened to a wolf, wearing a white mask with blood red markings on it; Beowolves, the most common type of Grimm.

The figure reached behind him and grabbed the shurikens handle with his right hand, pulling it off of the attaching device that was the diagonal strap across his back, and held it out to the side. He clicked a button on the handle, and suddenly hidden blades with the four points spun out, making the weapon as big as the person himself, as the added razors were very sleek and sharp, with a silver blade and neon green edge each.

One of the more braver Beowolves leaped at the figure with a roar, but it was effortlessly dispatched as he swung his arm, bisecting the monster with a single swing of the weapon.

The movement sent off a chain reaction in the minds of the creatures, making them all charge at him with murderous intent. He quickly clicked another button on the handle, and suddenly the weapon began spinning rapidly, transforming into a buzzsaw!

He swung his arm, easily cutting through a Beowolf before spinning around to cut down two more, then throwing it over to his left hand to slash through an attacker who thought it found a weak spot, before returning to the previous hand to cut another. He wielded the dangerous weapon expertly as he spun it around his head, behind his back and between his arms to slash through every opponent quickly without having to move an inch.

Another inhumane noise caught his attention, and his head shot to the left as a Boarbatusk, a similar creature, only with the characteristics of a boar, snarled at him. He pressed the button again, causing the blades to stop spinning, then flipped the weapon over to its other side, where instead of a handle being in the centre, a hole was. He fit his hand into it and pulled on the machinations hidden inside, causing the four blades to turn forward and bend, making the weapon now look like a four fingered claw.

The Boarbatusk charged, but the young man was ready as the found fingers of the weapon clenched. He stood his ground as the monster charged, and at the last second he pulled his fist back and delivered a skull breaking punch to the head, causing it to roar in pain as it toppled past him, exploding into dark dust.

He began to breathe a sigh of relief, only for an airborne growl to redirect his attention upwards as a Beowolf fell towards him. He grabbed the creature with the claw and held it in place as it struggled and thrashed around in a vain attempt to escape his grip. Another one charged from the front, and he took the opportunity to smash the two together, causing them both to explode.

He removed his hand, causing the weapon to revert back to its shuriken mode, and he looked around. Beowolves had completely surrounded him, snarling and gnashing at the air viciously. This always happened, they never stopped coming...

"This is looking dangerous..." Glynda said. "If we keep him out for much longer-"

"I would like to see how he handles it." Ozpin interrupted her, making Azure smirk.

Meanwhile, the examined was observing the situation around him. "...Time to disappear..." He mumbled to himself.

Suddenly, the ground literally opened up and swallowed him before closing!

The Beowolves growled in confusion and started pacing around the area, trying to find where their prey had gone, annoyed at the fact that they had been tricked.

"Did he flee?" Glynda asked Azure.

"No." He smiled. "Just watch."

All of a sudden a portal opened up on a tree vehind the pack of Beowolves, emphasised with a mirage-like violet and turqouise outline, and the young fighter came flying out of it at high speed! Using the velocity, he slashed through the entire pack with a swing of his weapon as he skidded to a halt, their remains blowing in the wind.

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, a small smile on his lips. "Excellent progress, I think I've seen enough."

Azure nodded. "You hear that, Emin? You passed! Now all you have to do is come back and survive initiation!"

"Got it." He replied as the screen went blank.

Emin took off the device and sighed in relief as his weapon folded back into its smaller form and he placed it on his back.

"Emiiiiiiiiin!" He was abruptly pulled into a bone crushing hug with his face stuffed into a full chest. "You were incredible! See? See!? I TOLD you you'd be fine!"

"S-Strawberry...can't breath!" Emin gasped.

"Ah! Right! Sorry!" The woman released the teen, making him gasp big mouthfulls of air. "I'm just so proud of you!"

Strawberry was a woman with slightly tanned skin and a body that some woman would be envious of, with large, chocolate orbs for eyes and bright pink hair that fell down straight to the small of her back. She wore a bright orange top with a white flower pattern, with a see through cream dress over the top of it, with lace on the ends of the sleeves, collar, and bottom, which was around her knees. She also wore a pair of jean short shorts, and black high heeled boots with pink hearts on the front, whilst a pink chain with a red handle that had a heart on the end of it, with a sharp red spike on the other end of the chain, was tied around her waist as a belt.

"I hope I did well..." Emin admitted, smiling nervously.

"You smashed it!" Strawberry grinned as she gave him a noogie (causing him to grit his teeth in pain) "C'mon! Let's head back to Beacon and have some dinner!"

"A-Alright." Emin winced, though with a smile on his face as the both of them headed off.

At Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin turned to Azure. "I believe its safe to say that both you and Strawberry have done an exceptional job in training Emin, Azure. I look forward to seeing his performance in the initiation."

"Thank you, Professor." Azure bowed. "If you will excuse me, I have to go and congratulate him." And so he took his leave.

As he left, Glynda turned to Ozpin. "Are you sure its safe to have Emin take the initiation?"

"He is no longer a child. He can take care of himself." Ozpin reasoned. "Besides, we cannot keep him restrained forever." He opened a drawer at his desk, and took out some reports. "I have high expectations of you...Eminence Phlox."

 **Hey there! I'm OPFan37 and I guess this is a story!**

 **So, yeah, I am a HUGE fan of RWBY and just decided one day: 'Eh, why the hell not?' and wrote this chapter...that's it.**

 **But anyway! I hope you guys really enjoyed this, and if you want to see more, leave a review! They prevent me from writing two chapters then giving up. So, thank you for reading, and I will (hopefully) see you next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Special Initiation Part 1

Beacon Academy, a shining example of hope to all throughout Reveria stood proudly in the bright sun as a wave of students walked in and out of the school, chatting, exercising, and fighting with advanced weaponry. Regular school stuff.

Inside the school, a large, expansive library was filled with rows upon rows of books, illuminated by the sunlight passing through the great grand windows. It was quiet and mostly empty in contrast to the rest of the school, a true place of calm solitude.

At one table in particular, Emin Phlox sat sorting through some library records, checking to see who he should chase up on overdue books, plus he liked the peace and quiet. His jacket was slung over the back of his chair, revealing his dark red shirt to be a short sleeve, with bandages wrapped around his forearms, and he sat back in the chair with a relaxed gaze on his face, glued to the info in front of him.

"Hey, Emin." He was momentarily distracted as he looked up at the voice. A girl with long brown hair and matching eyes, and she was wearing a black school uniform with a red and black checkered skirt, but the most prominent feature of hers were the two long bunny ears sticking out of the top of her head.

"Oh, hello Velvet." He said as the Faunus took a seat next to him, her arms resting on the table.

"I really can't believe your finally taking the initiation." She smiled lightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous..." He admitted, though half-heartedly. "I never thought I would actually be able to take it."

"You always come here when your nervous..." She mumbled.

"And...you always come here when your bullied." Emin started saying, though it quietened down into a guilty whisper.

Velvet brought her hands closer to herself. "I...a-are you checking the library records again?" She quickly changed the topic.

"Just once more, I forget sometimes after all the jobs I've already done today..." There was a pause, before he banged his face down against the table. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"Ah! E-Emin, don't worry, its fine." Velvet hurriedly replied. "Besides, I know it's a big day for you. It'll be fine, so, just do your best, I know you can do it!"

Emin smiled slightly. "Thanks, Velvet, I knew you could be that encouraging."

Velvet immediately knew what he had done. "Y-You just turned that around!"

He nodded ever so slightly. "Do you feel better?" She looked away timidly, but a small smile flickered across her face. "That's good...I'd better be going now." He put his jacket on and neatly stacked the records before folding them up and putting them in his pocket. "See you soon, Velvet." He began to walk away.

"Emin..." He stopped and turned to her. "Are YOU okay?"

There was a pause. "Don't worry, I'm fine." He so desperately wanted to warp away from this situation, but that would just be rude to her, so he walked away, forcing himself to move as slowly as possible, as Velvet looked on after him worriedly.

 _RWBY_

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hall, joined by the sound of slapping.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Emin hit his head frantically. "This is bad...this so bad! I can't...I can't...!"

He stopped, breathing heavily. "Calm down...calm down..." His arms shook violently as he held them at his side. "The initiation...I can't...no! I just have to...get through it..." He stopped himself, then took steady steps forward.

He walked out into the sunlight, shielding it from his eyes with his hands, and looked out across the pathway towards Beacon Academy. The entrance, whilst it filled others with joy, filled him with dread as an exit.

"Emin!" He looked to the left, and his heart fluttered a little as he saw Azure and Strawberry walk towards him, both taller then him. "How are you feeling?"

"...Scared." Emin lied. He was actually terrified.

"What? C'mon! Your big tough, Emin!" Strawberry beamed. "Oh! Here!" She suddenly (rather, instantly) held Emin's weapon in front of his face, making him jump back and clutch a hand to his heart. "Eclipse Star! All super shined and sharp!"

Emin carefully took the weapon, and examined it, smiling as he saw how the shuriken shined as he tilted it. "Strawberry...thank you."

"No prob!" She waved. "Now you have to do your best, 'kay?"

"You'll be absolutely fine." Azure assured him. "We'll be watching you from our Scrolls." He pulled his tablet-like device up to show him.

Enim smiled as he looked at the both of them. He knew they both respected and had high hopes for him, they were his friends, they cared about one another, he couldn't let them down. He placed Eclipse Star on his back. "I'll do my best, Azure, Strawberry."

The both of them nodded. "We know you will." Strawberry smiled.

"You wanna meet the newest initiates? Your gonna be around them a lot." Azure offered.

Emin leaned past them, watching as Professor Ozpin talked to a group of teens. "Um...not yet." He never felt comfortable about new initiates.

"Suit yourself." Azure shrugged. That meant he was actually bothered by it.

"Aw, c'mon, Emin. Look, there's a lot of cute girls this year." Strawberry nudged him, actually making him stumble to the side.

"Strawberry!" Emin mumbled, looking at the ground as his face flushed red.

The trio waited until Ozpin and Glynda led the mixed group away. "Right, Emin, you ready now?" Azure asked.

"Not just yet." Emin said as he watched them be lead away.

"Got the initiation down to pat?" Strawberry asked.

"Uh-huh." He said as he watched them being ushered up the Beacon Cliffs to the pads, where they were just, barely, in the line of sight. "...Wish me luck!" At that moment, a violet and turquoise portal opened up beneath him which he fell into before it closed off.

"He used his Semblance?" Azure gasped in surprise. "Wow, maybe he IS excited for this. What do you think Strawberry?" He turned to her, only to find a big smile on her face as her widened eyes sparkled. "Um...Strawberry?"

"My little Emin's so enthusiastic!" She squealed.

 _RWBY_

Meanwhile, at the site of the launch pads, a turquoise and violet portal opened up and Emin jumped out of it before it closed behind him and he landed on solid ground.

"Ah, Emin." Professor Ozpin greeted him. "I'm glad you could join us."

"Your quite late." Glynda stated.

"Oh, wow! That was cool! How did you do that?" The question came from a black haired girl with a young look, wearing a black corset and red cape, with that looked like a red and black mechanical scythe on her back.

"Oh, it's, my Semblance." Emin said as he walked over to the last available tile and stood straight on it.

"I've never seen one like that before!" The girl exclaimed, fidgeting in her spot on top of the pad, wanting to greet this new mystery guy but at the same time not wanting to move.

"Hold on a second!" He jumped at the sudden outburst, which came from a different girl. She had long white hair and a matching dress, as if she was covered in pure white snow, with an elaborate sword at her side. "Who are you, and why do YOU get the privilege of being late? You weren't even at the debriefing!"

"Um...Uh..." Emin shrank under the critical gaze of this white haired girl.

"This is Eminence Phlox." Ozpin introduced him. "He's been a guest at Beacon Academy for quite a while now, so he is familiar with most processes."

Emin breathed a sigh of relief at Ozpin saving him. "J-Just call me Emin."

"Perhaps a few of you could introduce yourselves to him?" Ozpin suggested to the others.

"Sure!" The black haired girl eagerly held a hand out. "Hi! My name's Ruby! Ruby Rose! It's nice to meet you, Emin!"

"You too..." He said as he shook hands with her (rather get his hand thrown up and down from the force of her greeting), not wanting to seem rude.

"Hmph." The white haired girl huffed. "My name is Weiss Schnee." She didn't continue on from that.

"Hey! New guy!" Emin looked past Ruby to see a girl with blonde hair, wearing a brown short sleeve over a yellow shirt, with a brown 'skirt' and boots. "Nice to meetcha! I'm Yang Xiao Long! But you can just call me Yang!"

"H-Hello." The energetic blonde reminded him of Strawberry...that was good...right?

"Excuse me?" Emin jumped, having not noticed the person on the opposite side of him. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." The figure chuckled, he looked pretty average, with blonde hair and wearing some kind of armour. "My name is Jaune Arc, let's, er, both do our best."

"Okay." Emin simply nodded.

"Can you hear me from down here!?" He once again had to turn to see a girl waving at him from down the line, he couldn't make much of her out, though. "My name's Nora! NORA VALKYRIE! Did you get that!?"

"Yes!" Emin called back...well, what else was he supposed to do!?

"I guess you can hear me as well, then?" The girl next to her said, she had bright red hair and wore what looked like golden armour...he felt like he recognised her from somewhere... "My name is Pyrrha Nikos, I hope you do well, Emin." He actually felt himself cheer up a bit from this random (yet naggingly familiar) girl.

"I believe Emin has wasted enough time." Glynda stated, making him throw his gaze to the ground in embarassment.

"Very well." Ozpin agreed. "Now then, you are all aware of the rules we have described to you just prior to Emin's arrival, yes?" The line nodded. "Emin?" He too nodded, though more sheepishly. "Excellent. I look forward to seeing how each and every one of you perform." He walked over next to Glynda. "Are there any questions?"

Jaune raised his hand. "Yeah, um, sir?"

"Good! Now take your positions!" Everybody struck a pose, so Emin just decided to bend his legs and hold his clenched hands behind him in a random battle pose.

"Uh, sir? I've got, um... a question." Suddenly the panel underneath Weiss launched up as a springboard, sending her flying through the air.

'I wasn't aware of this part!' Emin screamed internally as the platforms began activating down the line.

"So, this landing... strategy thing... Uh, wha-what is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?" Jaune continued, unaware of what was happening.

"No. You will be falling." Ozpin said as more people were being launched.

"Oh, uh, I see... So, did you, like, hand out parachutes for us?" The line was coming closer and closer!

'Nonononono!' Emin panicked. 'If I land in the forest feeling like this-!'

"No. You will be using your own 'landing strategy'." That Nora girl and the guy next to her were gone!

"Uh-huh...yeah." There were only four of them left!

As the last of them stood, he saw Yang wink at Ruby, before she put on a pair of aviators and flew off with a scream of joy.

'Everyone...everyone will...!' Emin clutched his head in panic.

"Are you okay?" The sound of a launchpad followed the voice.

Emin stopped and looked up. "What?"

And just like that, there was no ground beneath his feet, and he was flying through the air.

'Huh!? HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!?' His mind was suddenly working overtime to comprehend that he was shooting through the air at breakneck speed. 'Okay! Okay, c'mon Emin! Your used to this! Just land how you always do!'

Trying to distract himself, he looked around through the air, seeing others in the same predicament, he wasn't particularly looking for anybody...was he?

He quickly directed his gaze downwards, seeing the ground closing in on him. 'A good line of sight!' He held his hand out, and a portal opened up in front of him, through it was the grassy ground, surrounded by trees that he could see.

He tuck and rolled into the portal, instantly landing on solid ground as the world around him spun for what felt like hours in the space of a few seconds, until he stopped face down, the portals behind him closing.

"Ooooooh..." He groaned, sitting up and holding a hand to his head. "Ugh...I should have been able to do that no problem...maybe it was because it was so sudden..."

He stood up and brushed himself down, and he could stop and think. "...That girl, Ruby...why did she ask if I was alright? She was just about to launched from a...launchpad!" He tilted his head in confusion. "She didn't know me, so why would she...I don't get it."

He was distracted from his thoughts by growling, as Beowolves advanced on him from every direction. "Huh...actually, your all late." He grabbed Eclipse Star from his back, as the blades extended out to double its size.

A group of them leapt at him fangs bared, but he held up the weapon as it spun rapidly, cutting them to shreds. "C'mon then."

The Beowolves all began recklessly charging forward, and he quickly dispelled them with a few well coriographed swings, making them explode into dust instantly. As the last one went in from behind, he opened a portal up both behind and in front of him, with the monster passing through the latter and out of the former, allowing Emin to stab straight down through the monster, killing it instantly.

"Now to wait for the next wave." He sighed as he pulled the bladed shuriken out of the ground.

"Just be quiet! I thought I heard something over here!" Emin stopped as he heard a voice, and he turned to see Weiss appear out of the bushes, only to fold her arms upon seeing him. "Oh, it's you."

"Um, hello, Weiss." Emin waved gingerly.

"Hold on!" Someone else stumbled out of the bushes, revealing herself to be Ruby. "Oh! Emin! Wow, is that your weapon?"

"Ruby." Emin said with a slight look of surprise, as she oggled Eclipse Star.

"Have you found a partner yet?" Weiss questioned him.

"Um...I'm, technically not supposed to have one." He admitted.

"WHY?" She persisted.

"Errrrrr..." He began to sweat.

"I'm glad your okay, Emin." Ruby interrupted Weiss' interrogation. "You looked really scared at the cliffs, you okay now?"

"I...guess I was really scared." Emin admitted. "But I'm okay now."

"That's good." Ruby smiled. "Hey, since you haven't partnered with anybody, why not come with us?"

"Really?" "What?" Emin and Weiss replied respectively.

"Yeah, it'll be better in a group." She reasoned. "Whaddya say?"

"O...Okay." He nodded.

"You can't just say that!" Weiss argued. "And you didn't answer any of my questions!"

"Alright then! Let's go this way!" Ruby poiinted, before setting off with Emin following.

"You...arrggghhh!" Weiss growled in frustration as she stomped on after them, her glare burning into the back of Emin's head.

 **New chapter! Man, I'm actually really excited to write this series!**

 **Info: Emin's weapon, Eclipse Star, is a Transforming Bladed Lance Shuriken, which focuses mainly on close range combat, with one example of a long range attack, and is made out of obsidian black steel with sharper green edges.**

 **And thank you to everybody who reviewed! You guys are the reason this chapter exists!**

 **DarkLord98, your right, Emin is based off of a fairy tale, but you'll have to wait and find out which one!**

 **Martyn, Emin's background shall be revealed...eventually.**

 **Kamen rider w, I am hoping to have a pairing, I just haven't decided on one yey. In fact, you guys can offer suggestions!**

 **NewComer1, thanks so much for your support! I actually have been reading, I just haven't had the time to review, so I deeply apologise for that.**

 **Now, once again, thank you guys so much for reading, and I shall see you next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Special Initiation Part 2

The trio of Ruby, Weiss and Emin plodded along through the forest, with Weiss leading at the front, whilst Ruby stomped forward with a pout on her face at the back. Emin just walked in the middle, but his eyes would shift constantly to try and see anything unusual.

This current situation had been brought about by events just a few moments earlier, when Beowolves had attacked them. Ruby had diverted Weiss' attack, causing a small forest fire, causing the three of them to retreat.

"And furthermore, I still don't understand what your doing here if you seem to be so special." Weiss had been ranting at Emin for the past few minutes, he was ignoring her. "No partner, no help, no chess piece, what EXACTLY is the purpose of you being here?...Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

"No." Emin replied honestly, making Ruby stifle a giggle. "We're gonna be attacked again really soon."

"Oh, and I suppose you just know that." She asked.

"Yes." He nodded, causing her to growl in frustration.

"That's it, forget it! Do whatever you want. I'M gonna find my own way!" And with that, she marched off to the left.

With that, Ruby sat down. "Welp, I'm bored." She began picking stray leaves out of the grass.

"How can you be so relaxed?" Emin asked her. "We're going to be attacked again soon, I know it."

"Don't worry about it, we'll just take care of 'em." Ruby waved it off.

"It's definitely this way." Weiss said as she returned to walk the opposite way.

"Aren't you...scared?" Emin questioned.

"Nuh-uh." She replied, tossing the leaves around her. "Why? Should I be?"

Emin thought about that for a second. "...No, I guess not." He sat down. "Maybe it's just because I am."

"I mean...this way. It's DEFINITELY this way." Weiss once again turned.

"I thought you said you weren't scared." Ruby said.

"It's a...different kind of fear." Emin huffed. "The kind where...you don't want to mess up, or let anybody down."

Ruby pondered for a moment. "Well, your not messing up, or letting us down." She shot a childish glare at the passing Weiss, showing that those descriptions were placed on the white haired girl.

"It's not you, it's-" He began.

"Alright, it's official; we passed it." Weiss interrupted.

Ruby stood up, slightly annoyed. "Weiss, why can't you just admit that you have no idea where your going?"

"Because I know exactly where we're going!" Weiss cried. "We're going... to... the forest temple!" Ruby sighed in frustration. "Oh, stop it! You don't know where we are, either! How about you!?"

Emin stood up and shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

"Well at least we're not pretending that we know everything." Ruby defended themselves.

"What is THAT supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a big, stupid jerk and I hate you!"

Weiss sighed and spun around, walking off again. "Just keep moving!"

Ruby began to imitate her childishly, and Emin suddenly realised he was no longer alert. He spun around in every direction, expecting a surprise attack, but none came.

"...Why?" He could only ask himself. "Why aren't they...?" He realised he was being left behind, and quickly followed the pair.

As he caught up to them, he instantly noticed the depressing aura around them. He could sense both had become very sad, evidenced by the fact they were no longer arguing.

'Are they alright?' Emin thought, not daring to ask. 'Did something happen?...Is...is it my fault? Did I make them get so mad and hate each other? What if I did!? They...I...' He stopped walking, his whole body shuddered as he clenched his fist tightly.

Weiss looked over her shoulder and saw that Emin had stopped. "Hey! We don't have time to be standing around! I'm not gonna let you ruin my grade! In fact, I could just leave you here!" There was a pause as everything stopped. "...Are you listening?...Seriously, say something!"

"Emin? What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

Suddenly, there was a giant flash of black, a gust of wind, and he was gone.

"Emin!" Ruby gasped.

"What is that!?" Weiss yelled, looking skyward.

A Grimm that looked like a giant crow, wearing the same white and red mask that all of them had, was carrying Emin in one of its massive talons. This was a Nevermore, one of the few airborne Grimm, yet very powerful.

"Let go of me!" Emin thrashed around in its grip uselessly, with Eclipse Star attached to his back, there was no way he could get it right now. "Crud, this is all my fault!"

"We have to help Emin!" Ruby cried as she seized Weiss' wrist and dragged her along.

"What!? H-How!?" Weiss cried, taken by surprise at the events occuring within the last few seconds.

Ruby dragged the girl on top of a large boulder and held Crescent Rose out in sniper mode. "Hey! Big birdie! Over here!" She fired several rounds that exploded into the side of the Nevermore, making it turns towards them with a very angry look.

"This is a terrible idea!" Weiss screeched as the Nevermore charged towards them. "Are you trying to get us killed!?"

"Okay, on the count of three, we jump!" Ruby declared as she grabbed Weiss' shoulder.

"What did you say!?"

"Three!" As the Nevermore flew past them, Ruby jumped onto its back, dragging Weiss with her. The two of them clung onto its feathery back as the monster soared higher into the sky, the wind rushing past them.

"Ruby! I told you this was a terrible idea!" Weiss yelled over the wind.

"We're fine! Stop worrying!" Ruby replied. "Emin! Can you hear us!?"

"I am SO far beyond worrying!" Weiss argued.

Meanwhile Emin tried to look upwards. "Ruby!? Weiss!? What are you doing!?"

"We're here to rescue you!" Ruby replied.

"I'M not!" Weiss said.

"I'm sorry! All of this is because of me! Just let me fix it!" He shouted.

"No way! We're friends! Friends help each other!" Ruby replied. "Hold on!" Suddenly, she jumped off of the side, weapon in hand, and swung at the talon!

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Emin cried as the scythe slashed the talon, making the Nevermore screech in pain as it let go of Emin, causing the both of them to begin falling.

"Nonononono!" He panicked as he opened a portal below him. "It's not big enough for both of us to fit through!" Before he could panic further, somebody jumped forward and crashed into Ruby, sending both of them flying into a tree. "Ruby!"

Emin fell through the portal and was sent skidding across solid ground, face in the dirt, until he stopped. "Owwww..."

"Hey! Hey! Wake up!" Suddenly, somebody picked him up and began shaking him violently. "Wait...weren't you at the beginning? Emin, right?"

As his eyes stopped spinning, he recognised a familiar face with blonde hair. "Y...Yang...right?"

"Yeah." She nodded as she put him down. "And, please tell me, did you just fall from the sky, then fell across the ground?"

"Yes." Emin simply said.

"Wait, you were from the initiation, weren't you?" Emin looked to the left, and saw a girl he hadn't seen yet. She wore mainly white and black clothes, and had a distinctive black bow on her head. Just looking at her made him wonder..."Sorry I didn't introduce myself at the initiation. I'm Blake Belladonna...and, Yang, isn't that your sister?"

Both of them followed her line of sight to see Ruby and Jaune hanging from the tree. "Oh...hey, Emin..." Jaune waved weakly.

"I..." Yang gaped, dumbfounded at the situation.

They were interrupted by the cradhing of trees as another Grimm that looked like a bear, an Ursa, charged in...being ridden by somebody? A blast of pink energy suddenly hit its back, killing it and making it crash to the ground dead.

"YEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAW!" Emin recognised the rider as Nora when she rolled off of the carcass. "Awwwww, it's broken..." She groaned.

Then another new face appeared, wearing green martial art robes, with his hair tied into a traditional long male knot. "Nora!" He panted. "Please...don't ever do that again." But she was already gone. "Nora!"

"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake thought aloud.

"I..." Once again, Yang was interrupted. This time by Pyrrha, who was being chased by a giant scorpion-esque Grimm; the Death Stalker.

"Jaune!" Pyyrha called.

"Pyrrha!" Said person called.

"Woah!" Ruby cried as she rolled off the branch.

"Ruby!" Jaune whined.

"Ruby!" Yang and Emin exclaimed.

"Yang!" Ruby cried as she went to give her a hug.

"Nora!" The girl interrupted the moment.

"Emin?" Pyrrha recognised him.

"Pyrrha." He greeted her.

"Did she just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?" Blake wondered.

"I can't take it anymore!" Everybody, especially Emin, jumped back as a burst of fire erupted behind Yang, with her eyes turning red. "Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"

There was a pause, consisting of exactly two seconds. "Um...Yang?" Ruby tugged on the girls sleeve and pointed up, as Weiss was now hanging off of the talon of the Nevermore.

"How could you two leave me!?" She shouted down.

"You could've jumped too!" Ruby called up.

"She's gonna fall." Blake stated.

"She'll be fine." Ruby said.

"She's falling." The martial artist said.

"Ah!" Emin realised the situation and opened up a portal beneath her. Unfortunately, Jaune once again jumped in to save the day. "No!" The two of them were too wide for the portal, and broke straight through it on their crashcourse to the ground, with Jaune providing perfect support for Weiss to land on.

"My hero." Weiss said mockingly.

"My back..." Jaune groaned.

Meanwhile, Blake noticed Emin covering his face with his hands, shuddering violently. "Are you alright?"

"It hurts..." He whimpered as he took away his hands, causing Blake to gasp,

The entire left side of his face was crackling with violet and turquoise energy, and it looked like his left temple was glitching, unstable as it unformed and reformed violently.

"What's wrong?" The bow-wearer asked.

"My portal broke..." He hissed through clenched teeth. "The shock, it...I need to recover...I screwed up again!" He hit his face in frustration. "I can't do anything right!"

"Hey, hey, just, try to calm down, okay?" She tried to comfort him, but was distracted as the Grimm began to close in on them, with Pyrrha landing at their feet.

"Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang cried.

"Not if I can help it!" Ruby declared as she recklessly charged forward.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang tried to stop her.

Pyrrha had noticed the situation with Emin, and knelt down to him. "What's the matter with him?"

"I think it's something to do with his Semblance." Blake told her, trying to stay calm.

"I can't do this! I can't do this!" Emin screamed in frustration as he held out a hand, an unstable portal opening up which he fell into before it closed.

"Wait! Emin!" Blake cried, but he was already gone.

"Huh? Where did he go!?" Yang asked.

"That jerk! He just abandoned us!" Weiss cried.

"Um...guys?" Everybody looked at Jaune as he pointed forward.

Creeps had completely eclipsed the area in front of them, snarling viciously, but that wasn't the worst part.

Leading them was a large Grimm, about the size of the Death Stalker, with four black legs, the bottom half covered in white and red armour, with a completely black back and arms, with the same armour covering its torso. On the end of each arm was a long white scythe with blood red edges, and its armoured head had two big yellow eyes and blood red mouth pincers. This was a Hell Scythe, a praying mantis Grimm.

"Where did all of these guys come from!?" Yang cried.

"This is really bad..." Weiss admitted.

 _RWBY_

A good distance away from the battle, Emin sat, hunched against a rock, his face slowly healing.

"I'm an idiot..." He said to himself. "What was I thinking...I could never be a Hunter...stupid, worthless moron..."

Tears stung his eyes. "I'm sorry, Viola...I'm not special..."

He could hear it, the sounds of them battling...he could practically see it. "It's because of me that they're in so much trouble right now...I just mess up everything I do..."

He took a deep breath. "And the thing is...I actually really liked all those people too..." His voice began to break. "They're gonna die because of me!"

There was a pause in his thinking, silent save for the explosions he could hear. "...I don't want them to die."

 _RWBY_

The group had attempted to flee back to the cliffs, only for the Death Stalker, Nevermore, army of Creeps and Ursa to pursue them. The group had currently been seperated because of the Nevermore destroying the bridge, with the Creeps on one side and the Death Stalker and Hell Scythe on the other.

"This is looking REALLY bad!" Jaune emphasised.

"Just keep them away from us!" Weiss yelled at him as she, Yang, Blake and Ruby fired at the Nevermore, yet seemingly doing no damage. The advancing Creeps not helping the situation.

"I'll take these guys out!" Yang called as she went to jump down, only for the Nevermore to crash through the ruins, making all four of them jump away.

"None of this is working!" Weiss said.

"And now there's this." Blake muttered as the Creeps began to close in on them.

Just then, a portal opened up in front of them, and Emin walked out. The Creeps instantly focused on him, their snarls intensifying.

"Emin!" Ruby gasped.

"Where have you been!?" Weiss cried.

He didn't say anything as he pulled Eclipse Star from his back, and it extended out. "I'll fix this." He stated. "You take care of the Nevermore."

"Uh...sure! Why not?" Yang half-joked.

"I've got a plan! Cover me!" Ruby said before she dashed away, and the rest of them refocused their attention on the Nevermore.

Emin took several steps towards the Creeps, who gnashed at him as he held up his arms in a challenging manner. "Your here for me, aren't you!? Cmome on, then!"

The Creeps charged instantly, and he slashed straight through the front row, rolling away as more leapt down at him from above. He set the weapon spinning as more ran forward, he swung his arm in an arc, taking out a few, but some smarter ones ducked underneath the attack and jumped at him from behind, forcing him to run forward to avoid the sneak attack.

As more charged from the front, a large chunk of ruins became dislodged above him and began to fall towards him. "I...I'll use this!" He held his hand up, creating a very large portal both above and in front of him, making the rock fall through it, then immediately straight forward and through the Grimm's, crushing them all instantly.

"Arckgh!" The portals disappeared as Emin clutched his side in pain, the same coloured sparks flashing around the area. "That was...agh...really stupid..."

Down below, the Hell Scythe's attention was suddenly diverted as it was fighting, "Oi! What are you looking at!?" Nora yelled at it, yet failing to make it look at her. "Don't you ignore me!"

The Hell Scythe continued to pay no mind to any of them, as it crouched down, and jumped straight up to the other side. "Get back here, coward!" Nora raged.

"Where is it going!?" Pyrrha thought aloud.

At the same time, Emin jumped back as the Hell Scythe crushed the area where he previously stood. "I'll deal with you." He stated simply, holding Eclipse Star firmly.

The monster swung with its right scythe, forcing Emin to block with his weapon, the attack generating sparks as they grated against each other, before he was forced to jump back. It switched to a stab with his right scythe, and Emin created a portal both in front and behind him, making the attack go right past him harmlessly, and impaling the ground behind his feet.

He quickly backstepped away to put some distance between the two, then clicked the button on the handle to start it spinning. "Haaaaaaaaah!" Pulling his arm back, he threw Eclipse Star as hard as possible, sending it spinning forward, and stabbing itself directly inbetween the monsters eyes, throwing its head back.

Emin waited, until the Grimm slowly returned its head to its original position, definitely looking injured, but otherwise unaffected by the deadly shuriken stuck in its face. "...Okay." A portal opened up both in front of Emin and his weapon, reaching through he grabbed it and forcefully ripped it out of the Hell Scythe's head, making it roar in pain.

"Stubborn." Emin muttered, the Grimm fixing him with a hateful gaze. As it swung at him from the side, he rolled underneath the slice and ran next to its leg. He quickly spun the weapon around and stuck his arm in the hole, transforming it into its claw form, He grabbed one of its legs and opened a portal beneath him, falling through it and dragging the leg through with him, making the Hell Scythe fall off balance.

In the air above the monster, a portal was open, and Emin was hanging above, holding onto the monsters leg. He let go of the leg and fell straight down, smashing the monster across its head with the metal fist. It smashed into the ground, and its leg was released as Emin safely landed in front of it. "Time to end this." He switched Eclipse Star back to shuriken mode, and before the Grimm could stand up again, he slashed it straight down its face, causing it to spasm violently before lying still, and turning to dust.

He breathed a deep sigh of relief as he returned his weapon to its shrunken form and placed it on his back. He looked over and saw Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang talking, with the severed head and lifeless body of the Nevermore behind them. He nodded to himself, and began to walk away.

"Emin! Emin!" He stopped in surprise and turned around as Ruby ran up to him. "That was really amazing, what you did! You really helped us out!"

Emin looked a bit shocked at the thanks. "I...was just clearing up the mess. Besides, it looks like you all did a much better job then me."

"You were awesome!" Yang said as she playfully punched his arm (making him bite his tongue to stifle a scream of pain) "I gotta hand it to ya, your tougher then you look."

"Hold on a second." He took two steps back from them. "It's my fault you guys were attacked. Ruby, Weiss, you saved me, and then I abandoned you. Don't you...hate me for that?"

"You DID abandon us." Weiss muttered.

"But!" Blake blocked her off. "You still came back and fought alongside us, very strongly as well, you really helped."

"Plus, 'hate' is kinda extreme." Ruby smiled. "We're friends, right?"

Emin looked from one girl to the next, not believing that they could just forgive him so easily, it didn't make any sense!

But...it still felt really nice...and for the first time in a long while, he gave a genuine warm smile.

"Thank you..." He whispered, when the sound of cheering getting louder was heard, followed by a familiar voice.

...

Meanwhile, on the very other end of the Emerald Forest, a thick fog had begun to roll in, obscuring everything and anything it touched, choking the very air itself.

The shadow of a figure could be seen within this fog, a giant, towering figure, something as large as Beacon Academy itself! Two red eyes glowed at the top of this colossal being, the Beacon Cliffs within its sight.

However...it suddenly became disinterested. Slowly, it turned around, and silently began to walk away, taking its foul mist with it...

 _RWBY_

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by... Cardin Winchester!"

The audience and initiates clapped as the new team, highlighted by the screen of the auditorium, stood together at the front.

Emin was with the rest of the initiates yet to be formed...but was also currently being trapped within a hug that refused to loosen.

"Strawberry, let him go." Azure sighed.

"No, I'm not letting my little Emin go ever again!" She refused.

"He made it out okay, didn't he? Give him some room to breath." He sighed.

"Not until I give him as much love as possible!" She refused.

Emin acted indifferent as he clapped for the unification of Team JNPR, with Jaune's obvious surprise and comedic fall as a bonus.

"And now; Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long." Professor Ozpin motioned the four of them over. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!"

Weiss looked over at her in shock, with Ruby having the same look on her face as Yang hugged her. "I'm so proud of you!"

Emin deliberately clapped as hard as he could for this team, he was truly glad that they were a group. All four of them were...very kind.

"And lastly, I'd like to call Eminence Phlox up here." Azure wrestled Strawberry away from Emin so that he could hesitantly walk into the centre of attention. He looked to the back to see Velvet trying her best to wave at him, so he gave a sheepish wave back.

"I am sure most of you know Emin, him having been here for a long while." Professor Ozpin spoke. "From now on though, you are to treat him as an equal Hunter-In-Training. As for his team, it was agreed upon that when Emin passed the Initiation, he would be accepted into the team of his guardians; Azure Bolt and Strawberry Peach." The two of them went up and stood either side of Emin.

"Seeing as the both of them are a graduated and qualified Hunter and Huntress, I see no problem in establishing them as a three person team. They shall work together as Team SEA, with Emin as leader." Ozpin announced.

Weiss' jaw hit the floor as the audience had a mixed reception of enthusiastic cheeing to not-bothered clapping. Nonetheless, Emin shuffled nervously on the spot.

"It looks like things are shaping up to be an... interesting year." Ozpin thought aloud.

 **It's a new chapter before Christmas! And wow, I really loved writing this one! I hope you enjoyed reading it, and it gave you a lot of foreshadowing to think on!**

 **Also, I truly apologise about last chapter, it was awful in terms of how many mistakes there were. I've updated it and fixed all of them, so hopefully you guys can forgive me.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate the support. And I hope to see all of you next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Academy Affinity Part 1

"Eeeeeeemin...Eeeeeeeeemin...Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin..."

Said teen's eyes slowly opened as he turned his head to the left, only to jump out of bed clutching a fist to his chest as two chocolate coloured eyes invaded his personal space.

"Strawberry!?" He gasped in fright.

"Yep!" She smiled. "C'mon now, time to get up!"

Emin looked around, finding himself in a...dorm room? "What's going on?"

"Silly! Don't you remember? Your finally part of a team! Our team! Team SEA! So we share a room now!" Strawberry told him as she jumped out of bed. "And it's nearly time for your first day as a proper student! So, chop chop!"

Emin looked to the right of him to see Azure still asleep, snoring contently. "Yeeeaaaaah." Strawberry said. "I tried waking him up, but you know how he is."

"I know." Emin nodded. "...I...I can't believe we're actually a proper team no-OW!?" Emin shielded his eyes quickly.

"Huh? What's wrong?" The young woman asked.

"S-Strawberry! Your not wearing anything!" Emin cried with a flushed face.

"Well, duh, I'm getting changed." She said as if it was natural. "We're teammates now, so we have to share a room!"

"Butbutbutbutbut..." He couldn't control his mouth as the words tumbled out in a mess.

"Now then!" Emin felt himself get yanked back, and thankfully Strawberry was now wearing a sleeveless baby blue shirt with a smiling pink heart on the chest and jeans. "I'm in charge of decorating our room! So, I'm gonna have the desk over here, now what colour wallpaper do you think we should have? Golden sunflower or emerald green? And I was thinking of hanging our weapons on the wall over there, maybe next to a nice picture of all of us? I have to get a photographer for that! And a nice frame to-I JUST REMEMBERED!"

Emin was flung towards the other side of the room as his new energetic teammate proudly held out a male school uniform. "Ta-da! I figured a hand-me-down from Azure wouldn't do it justice, so I bought you your own uniform!" She thrust it into his hands. "Go on! Try it on!"

"Uhhh..." Emin didn't know what to do, standing there in his pajamas (A short sleeve grey shirt with the word 'Heat' on the front in red, with baggy red and white checkered bottoms) as Strawberry looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Could you...turn around, please?"

"Oooooooh...okay." She whined as she spun 180.

"No peeking." Emin added, making her groan. He changed as fast as possible, needing to straighten it out after hurriedly putting it on. "Okay."

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" A girlish shriek filled the room, Azure sleeping through it, before he was squished into a strong hug. "You look perfect! A role model student! You are gonna have a blast today!" She thankfully released him. "Okey-dokey! Your lessons should be starting in about half an hour, so go and have breakfast whilst I wake up Mr. Lazy here."

"R-Right." Emin stammered as he hurried out the door, still trying to comprehend what was going on.

He managed to make it to the eating hall, and opened up his Scroll to check his new timetable as he ate. "Lesson today is...with Peter Port. Okay, I know where his classroom is."

"Good morning, Emin." He looked to the side to see Velvet sitting down next to him. "So your really an official student now. How does it feel?"

"Pretty much the same, so far." He admitted. "...Velvet, about yesterday, I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, don't worry, it's fine, really." The Faunus assured him. "Please don't feel bad about it."

"I know..." Emin mumbled, stealing a glance at a distant table where several students were giving him very unsavoury looks.

"You'll be fine." Velvet said, trying to lighten his mood. "Your really anticipated, you know?"

Emin didn't say anything as he finished and gathered his things. "I'm just gonna do some chores before class starts, I'm with Mr. Port."

"That's my class!" Velvet exclaimed, before realising she spoke too loud and hushed herself. "You can sit near me, if you want."

Emin smiled lightly. "Thanks, Velvet."

He made his way down the west hall, where he came to a small door. Opening it revealed it as a closet, filled with cleaning utensils, a ladder, the works...plus a pipe at the back.

Reaching in, Emin pulled out a strange mop, looking ordinary if not for the silver design scheme, hole at the bottom, and spinning bristles. He held the hilt near the pipe and turned it on, hearing a sound akin to sand falling into it, whilst looking at a little gauge on the side that slowly filled up with blue colour, stopping the flow just before it reached the little red marker indicating a danger zone.

He then closed the closet and walked into the center of the hall, raising the mop up as if he was doing a Gandolf impression before thrusting it into the ground, causing a wave of water to explode out and cover the floor. He placed a wet floor sign next to himself and then set to work mopping.

He hadn't even begin working for five minutes when a familiar voice broke the silence; "Hurryhurryhurryhurryhurry!" He stopped and turned as Team RWBY barreled down the corridor. "The classroom should be this wa-HAAAAAAAAAAY!?" Ruby slipped on the wet floor, knocking back into Yang, who knocked back into Blake, who knocked back into Weiss, leaving the four of them in a tangled mess on the floor.

"...Be careful, the floor's wet." Emin stated.

"What's the big idea!?" Yang cried, jumping to her feet. "Whose idea is it to clean the floor at a time like-" She spun around and stopped as she noticed the mop wielder. "Emin?"

"Hello, Yang, Ruby, Blake, Weiss." He waved.

"Hey, Emin!" Ruby replied, completely unfazed by the fall. "Sorry for the trip just then!"

"It's alright, though I did leave a sign." He pointed to it for emphasis.

"Oh...whoops!" She laughed.

"Why are you cleaning the floors, Emin?" Blake asked, adjusting her bow.

"It's one of my jobs." He shrugged. "I'm the janitor."

"The janitor? Seriously?" Yang asked.

"I had to keep myself busy around here." He reasoned. "And I wanted to help out so..."

"Well, thanks to you we're now wet and still late." Weiss grumbled. "But I'm actually glad I bumped into you, Emin. I still have some questions for you."

'Joy.' He thought.

"Oh, c'mon Weiss, lay off him!" Ruby complained, making Weiss shoot her a look.

"There you are!" Emin froze as Strawberry and Azure marched up behind him. "I thought so...what do you think your doing?"

"Cleaning?" He replied.

"Oh no your not!" Strawberry declared as she took the mop and tossed it over her shoulder. "Your a student now! So that means your gonna have FUN! Not WORK! Learning time now!" She then seized his wrist and marched down the corridor, dragging him along.

"Wow, she reminds me of you, Yang." Ruby said.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Yang asked as the Team followed after them, when suddenly Team JNPR also slid and landed in a mess behind them.

"Be careful! The floor is wet!" Emin called to them as he was still being dragged.

"Maybe one of you two could answer my questions." Weiss continued as they walked.

"You have some questions?" Azure asked. "I'll do my best to answer."

"Finally!" She sighed. "So, tell me, how is it that you are a three person team? All others are four person."

"Prior to all this, me and Strawberry made a personal request to Ozpin." Azure replied. "It was a bit of a debate, but we're already professional Hunters, so I guess we make up the slack."

"Okay then...why did Professor Ozpin say that Emin is your leader? As far as I know, all other established teams have their leader's name at the front of their team name. But yours, Team SEA, has Emin's initial in the center." Weiss said.

"Technically, Emin isn't our official leader, more a spiritual one, for the moment at least, as Strawberry is our official leader." Azure explained. "We want Emin to be our leader, but at the current point in time we decided it is best to relieve him of the expectation and allow him to develop more, until he's ready."

"I see..." Weiss said.

"He's awfully patient." Blake mumbled.

"Either that or he's sleep talking." Ruby said.

"One more thing." She continued. "Why exactly are you two so attached to-"

"We're here!" Strawberry announced as she threw open the doors of the classroom.

"Ah, Strawberry." Peter Port said as she entered. "How nice of you to visit my classroom for old times sake...I take it they're all with you?"

"Yep." She nodded.

"And us too!" Jaune called from the back with the rest of Team JNPR.

"Very well then, take your seats." The teams filed in and occupied a seat, with Azure and Strawberry standing by the door. "Now then, let us begin."

Emin kept as much focus as possible on the lesson, he had always heard classes being taught as he mopped the floors or cleaned the windows, but being in one was a much better experience. He would occasionally look over his shoulder to see Azure and Strawberry keeping a close eye on him, or to his left to see Velvet keeping focus, and also noticed Ruby most of all, who seemed to be finding...interesting ways to amuse herself, much to Weiss' chagrin. And then there was this one guy who said 'Ayyyyyyyep'.

"Ah-heh-hem!" Everybody turned their attention back to the teacher. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!" Weiss was looking more and more angry as Ruby continued her antics. "The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable! A true Huntsman must be dependable! A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

Emin gulped at the list of responsibilities.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

"I do, sir!" Weiss declared, standing up.

"Well, then, let's find out!" He stepped aside to show a box with red eyes gleaming out of it thrashing around. "Step up, and face your opponent!"

'A Grimm!?' Emin began to clench and unclench his hands nervously. 'Why is a Grimm here!?'

"Uh, Mr. Port?" Azure called down. "Are you sure it's...wise, to have a captive Grimm around at...this time?"

The teacher gave a brief casting glance at Emin. "Not to worry, Mr. Bolt. I'm sure our volunteer will be able to deal with it no problem."

Emin continued to hide his panic as Weiss, changed into her regular outfit, faced the box. "Gooooo Weiss!" Ruby cheered.

"Fight well!" Blake added, waving a red 'RWBY' flag.

"Yeah, represent Teeeeeeeeeeam RWBY!" Yang finished.

"Please just kill it quickly." Emin requested sheepishly.

Weiss looked over her shoulder at her 'leader'. "Ruby! I'm trying to focus!"

"Oh, um...sorry..." Now it was Ruby's turn to look sheepish.

"Allllllright!" Port pulled out his axe. "Let the match BEGIN!"

Emin was frozen to his seat the entire match as Weiss fought the Boarbatusk with Ruby cheering her on. He could see it was looking at him whenever it wasn't fighting the white haired girl. He only allowed himself to relax once it was dead.

"Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!" Port nodded. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and... stay vigilant! Class dismissed!" Weiss immediately left the classroom, shortly followed by Emin accompanied by Azure and Strawberry.

"Emin, are you okay?" Strawberry asked. "I didn't know Port was gonna try something like that first lesson...but I'm sure he didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, Strawberry." Emin told her, taking a deep breath. "I need to get used to these things now that I'm a Hunter-In-Training. I won't be scared next time."

Azure and Strawberry looked at each other with a small smile. "That's the spirit!" Strawberry returned to her happy nature as she hugged Emin. "Right, it's the best time of the day; lunch! Let's go!"

Emin allowed himself a smile as he followed the two of them. This new beginning was certainly...intriguing to him. He'd like to learn a little more...

 **Character Bio**

 **Name: (?) Eminence Phlox**

 **Gender: Male**

 **Weapon: Eclipse Star**

 **Age: 16**

 **Outfit: Purple and green**

 **Accessories: Weapon attachment strap, Dust cartridges, Pockets, Bandages, Jacket**

 **Handedness: Right**

 **Complexion: Pale White**

 **Height: 5'4**

 **Hair Colour: Purple**

 **Eye Colour: Light Green**

 **Semblance: (?)**

 **Affiliation(s): Beacon Academy**

 **Occupation(s): Janitor, Student.**

 **Team: SEA**

 **Partner: None**

 **Status: Active**

 **Relations: Azure Bolt (Guardian)**

 **Strawberry Peaches (Guardian)**

 **Viola (?)**

 **First Appearance: Purple Trailer**

 **Music Theme: 'Dark On Me' by Starset**

 **Ah, finally! The next chapter is done! And I'm sorry it's so short! Fanfiction has been bugging out the last week and I couldn't update anything! But everything's good now!**

 **Anyway, yes, sorry this chapter is so short, but it's mainly introductions, whilst the next chapter will be more about establishing Emin's connections with his new fellow students. Also, some revealances will fill in some of the blanks that are in the bio I've just given you up there. Just a little thing to give you guys more detail about Emin.**

 **Again, I apologise for the wait and the length, but I hope you guys still enjoyed! And I shall see you all next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Academy Affinity Part 2

 **A/N: Before this chapter begins, may I please direct your attention to the top left. This is a picture of Eminence Phlox that The Fresh Prince of BANANAS (neonewray as she is known on Tumblr) took the time and effort to draw for me, and I am ever so truly grateful for taking the time and effort to do this for me. Please support her either on FF or Tumblr as she really is a very good and kind person. Now then, on with the chapter.**

It was the next day of student life for Emin as he sat in the dining hall, eating alone at a table. He always liked the mornings, they were calm, peaceful, with no bullying. A time for him to just relax and think about-

"Hey! Emin!" The silence was shattered as Nora seemingly materialized right next to him with a big smile. "Morning! Do you mind if I sit here? Thanks!"

"G-Good morning?" Emin replied in bafflement.

"Nora, just, why?" The ponytail guy from the initiation sighed as he walked over. "I'm sorry about her."

"It's alright...uhhh..." He drew a blank at a name.

"Oh, my apologies, I never introduced myself. My name is Lie Ren, pleased to make your acquaintance." He nodded.

"Just call him Ren." Nora whispered, making Emin shudder from the unexpected voice.

"Emin! Good morning!" Jaune Arc said as he walked over with Pyrrha. "Oh, uh, you mind?"

"I, guess not." Emin shrugged as the whole of Team JNPR sat around him.

"So, er, what've you got on today?" Jaune asked as he ate.

"Huh?...Uhhh, just lessons and time inbetween." Emin replied hesitantly. He had never had...'small talk' before.

"We have Professor Port again later today." Pyrrha said as she checked her Scroll.

"Oh, cool! That guy was awesome! Did you see the way he pulled out that axe in the middle of class!?" Nora beamed with admiration.

"Yyyyeah, I guess." Jaune laughed lightly, it was pretty evident he was still trying to get around the fact that he was the leader. "Hey...Emin, where are your teammates, Azure and Strawberry?"

"Still in bed." He replied. "Azure always wakes up late, and Strawberry has stuff to do."

"You three really are an interesting team." Pyrrha commented. "Everybody who passed the initiation has been talking about how unique Team SEA is."

"What?" Emin shrank into his chair. "R-Really?"

"Don't worry, it's not bad." Jaune assured him. "Besides, we can all say how capable you are on your own."

"We should fight to the death sometime!" Nora declared.

"We really shouldn't." Ren shot her down.

Emin, ever so slowly, returned to his normal seating position with a small smile. "Thank you, guys."

"No problem." Jaune smiled. "Let's work together again sometime."

He allowed himself a nod before excusing himself to wash the dishes.

 _RWBY_

It was later in the day now, and Emin was sitting in his favourite seat in the school library. It wasn't particular or different in any way, he just always sat there. He was currently doing his favourite pasttime; playing Remnant: The Game...with himself.

He peered across the board at the Beowolf pieces he was facing, whilst he played as the Giant Armour's. Emin knew that in the desert habitat they were in, he had an advantage to attack them, but he was cautious of the two cards laid face down, which, he knew what they were, seeingas he laid them down himself. He could always use the card Atlesian Air Force to skip past them entirely, but that was too risky. Instead, he would use the card Sandstorm to blind and damage them, then launch a sneak attack and play Desert Scavenge to use the Claws of the Wild Beast he discarded to double the damage and-

He was interrupted from his thought process by the sound of a scraping chair, and turned to see someone sit next to him. "Blake?"

"Oh, Emin. Didn't realise it was you." The black haired girl spoke, her nose deep in a book. "Sorry, I'm reading at the moment."

"Okay..." And that was the end of the conversation.

The two of them sat, doing their own individual thing in complete silence, as if the other wasn't there.

Until, Emin carefully folded his game away, turned to Blake and asked: "Blake, are you a Faunus?"

Blake looked as if Emin had just asked if he could shoot her in the face.

"Mph!?" Blake covered Emin's mouth and quickly pulled the two of them out into the hallway, looking around before she released her grip.

"How did you know that!?" She whispered loudly.

Emin blinked twice. "...Wait...seriously? I'm right?"

"Wha-?" Blake gaped at him. "D-Don't tell me that was just a shot in the dark! Or do you just go around asking that to everybody!?"

"Well, you were kind of acting like my friend Velvet, and she's a Faunus sooooo..." Emin shrugged. "Still though...I can't believe I was right on that."

"This is bad..." Blake mumbled. "If you can figure it out so easily then..." She couldn't speak further.

"Um, I know it's not my business to ask why you don't want anybody to know." Emin spoke. "So instead, I'll just promise to keep it a secret. Besides, I just went for a lucky guess."

Blake paced back and forth, trying to decide what to do, until she huffed. "You promise you will keep this secret? This is really important to me."

"Kill my Aura and hope to die." Emin swore.

Blake continued to pace back and forth, until she let her shoulders fall. "Okay then...I trust you, Emin. But just between us, alright?"

"Uh-huh." He nodded.

"Good." She breathed a sigh of relief. "So then...we'd better get going to class, right?"

"Yep." Emin nodded as the both of them started walking.

'Wow, I've never had to keep someone else' secret before.' Emin thought. 'It's...kinda cool.'

RWBY

"And that is how I subdued the Ursa with a swift blow to the skull." Ruby's eyes snapped open as Professor Port's story finished.

Once again, it was lesson time in the classroom. Azure and Strawberry stood at the back of the class and kept a watchful eye over Emin as he studied. Well, Strawberry did, Azure was fast asleep from Professor Port's story.

"Now then, today I'd like to talk about Semblance's." Professor Port said. "Can anybody give me a definition?...Yes, Miss Schnee?"

"A Semblance is a manifestation of one's Aura." She explained. "It takes different and unique forms which affects the users body or the environment around them."

"Spot on!" Port agreed. "The type of Semblance a Huntsman can create is depended on by three major factors. Number one: The family. Some Semblances are crafted from a Huntsman's parents' Semblances, either as a combination of the two, or something relating to them. In rare cases, some Semblance's are even hereditary. Number two: the environment. Sometimes an Aura user's environment can affect the form their Semblance takes, either as a tribute to the area they hail from...or as a method of survival."

"The third one, though, I believe to be the most important. Personality, and experience. A Semblance is created from a Huntsman's Aura, and an Aura is created from the Huntsman. Thus, it is only natural to say that that person's personality, happy, excitable, brave, ambitious...and their past, war, achievement, remembrance, are what truly defines Semblance."

Professor Port stepped forward. "So then, let's have a demonstration of a Semblance, shall we?" His eyes scanned the room, until he made a decision. "Mr. Phlox, would you care to come down?"

"...Me?" Emin asked, pointing at himself.

"Yes, if that's alright." The spiritual leader shuffled awkwardly across his desk and down the stairs, standing before the whole classroom. "Now then, would you please demonstrate your Semblance?"

Hesitantly, Emin created a portal both next to him and further away. Reaching his hand into the portal next to him, it emerged out of the other, flexing his fingers in demonstration.

"An excellent example of a Semblance." Port approved. "How about a fun little guessing game for the rest of the class? Can anybody guess the name of Emin's Semblance?...No, Miss Strawberry, I'm sure you already know." She pouted in response.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Ruby waved her hand. "Teleport!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Warp."

"Portal?" Jaune guessed.

"Zoom Loop!" Yang fist-pumped.

"Fast Travel!" Nora cheered.

"Run Away?" Cardin chuckled.

"Begone."

Everybody looked at Emin as he spoke. "It's called...Begone."

"Ah, well, better luck next time then." Professor Port said. "Now let's see what happens when two Semblance's clash, shall we? For this, I'll need another volunteer..."

"Me! Me! Please pick me!" Yang begged from her seat.

"Miss Xiao Long?" The blonde fist-pumped in victory before bounding down the stairs. "Would you care to demonstrate your Semblance to the class?"

"Gotcha." She smiled. "My Semblance is really awesome, but I'm gonna need a hand with it." She then turned to Emin. "Okay, Emin, punch me in the face."

"...Pardon?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"Punch me in the face." She repeated. "Don't worry, I won't be mad or anything."

"I really do not want to hit you." Emin stated.

"I'll hit her!" Nora volunteered.

"Okay then..." Yang pondered. "I know!" She got out her Scroll and typed something in before putting it away.

A few seconds later, her locker came barreling through the door and smashed her into the wall.

"Yang!" Emin cried in horror as the locker parked itself into the classroom.

The girl in question pulled herself out of the wall. "Yep, yep, that worked." She staggered around a bit before regaining her footing. "Alright then!" A flaming aura burst around her as her eyes glowed red.

"Marvellous!" Port approved. "With such impressive Semblance's shown, it would be a crime not to have a little sparring match.

"What?" Emin stated.

"Semblance's only!" He continued before walking far away from the two now established combatants. "Keep an eye on your Aura levels, and go!"

Yang cracked her knuckles. "Don't worry, Emin. I'll pull my punches."

"She's very bad at pulling her punches!" Ruby cried.

As Yang charged at him, Emin quickly jumped through a portal to the other side of the ring, making Yang do a U-turn, only for the same thing to happen.

"Okayyyyy..." Yang muttered in an annoyed tone. "Hah!" She jumped at him again, but Emin once again jumped through a portal. "Not this time!" Yang made to dive through the portal, only to be flung back by an electric shock. "Gah! What the-!?"

"Sorry." Emin called from the other side of the room. "Only I, and people who aren't trying to attack me, can pass through my door."

"Come on!" Yang huffed.

This 'battle' continued on for a while with the same results, until they both stopped, as their Aura's were low in the yellow.

"No...huff...fair..." Yang panted, whilst Emin was fine.

"A wonderful demonstration." Port approved. "I hope those of you who use Semblance's or plan to unlock them, have learned something today. Good? Then class dismissed."

Emin met Azure and Strawberry by the door as they walked down the hall, with the two of them heading off to get lunch for the team, leaving Emin on his own.

"Hey, Emin!" He froze as he heard Yang run up behind him. "Wait up! I just wanted to-"

"I'm sorry!" Emin suddenly turned around and fell to his hands and knees, making Yang stop. "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to humiliate you in class! I'm an idiot!"

There was a pause between them. "Um...are you alright?" Yang asked.

"Huh?" Emin lifted his head up. "I...you aren't mad?"

"Why would I be?" She asked. "I didn't scare you in class, did I? Or, I guess I can kinda understand where your coming from if your thinking I'm the 'always angry type'."

"Nononononononono!" Emin cried in a fluster before standing up. "It's not that, I just...didn't want to...humiliate you in front of your teammates and make you look bad..."

"Aw, they're fine with it!" Yang waved it off. "It was just a practice battle anyway! If I had my gauntlets I would have otally beaten you." Emin looked worried. "I'm kidding! But, I just wanted to say that you were pretty cool to fight against."

"Really?" Emin asked.

"Sure!" She nodded. "Let's do it again sometime! Right now though, I'm gonna get lunch. You wanna come?"

"Alright." He nodded as the two of them walked down the hall.

 _RWBY_

It was evening now, and Beacon Academy was bathed in a warm orange glow from the setting sun. Emin was in his new dorm room, with Azure and Strawberry out and about. Team SEA's official leader had done a good job with their room, painting the walls a mix of sky blue and sunflower yellow which worked surprisingly well with the zigzag design, whilst a workbench filled with different tools sat next to the wall, and some pictures hung on the walls.

As Emin was studying, he heard a knock at the door. He stood up and opened it to find none other then Weiss Schnee standing there.

"Hello, Emin." She greeted him.

"Hello, Weiss." He replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Expecting it to be another load of questions, Emin leaned back on the door.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked.

Weiss looked dejected as she sighed. "I...wanted to apologise."

"Huh?" Emin was NOT expecting THAT. "What for?"

She sighed. "I'll admit, I've been sceptical of you since the initiation, with all the different sets of rules around you and the different circumstances and everything..." She shook her head before she could continue ranting. "But I believe that I was wrong to just judge you for that, without taking into account how you as a person are. And...you seem nice, at the very least."

Emin really didn't know what to say to this, so he resorted to instinct and said the first thing he could think of: "Well, if I was in your shoes, I'd be pretty sceptical of mysflf too, I am kinda bad and strange so, you don't have to apologise for thinking like that."

Weiss sighed. "Ugh, you just saying that makes me feel worse." She cleared her throat. "Listen Emin, I've decided I want to put everything bad I've thought of you behind me and start again, so..." She held out her hand. "My name is Weiss Schnee, it's very nice to meet you."

Again, Emin was baffled. Was this allowed? Was starting friendship over just allowed?...Well, it was something new at least...but...

"Weiss...can we not start again?" He asked.

"Huh?" She thought aloud.

"I don't mind if you thought bad of me, I guess I thought bad of you too." He spoke. "But, I'd like to keep those bad memories, so that I can remember the experience I had in Emerald Forest, even when it was with you, because I really enjoyed it. So, uh, can we, instead, just be friends from now on?"

Weiss stared at him in confusion for a minute, but then smiled lightly. "I'd like that. Thanks, Emin." She then turned and walked down the hall, before entering a room.

"Oh, Team RWBY's room is in the same hall as ours." Emin realised.

 _RWBY_

Night had descended, as the broken moon and flickering stars hung in the sky over a blanket of darkness. Azure and Strawberry were sound asleep in their beds, but Emin? He was standing on the balcony in his pajamas, looking up at the night sky.

He used to do this very often, stare up at the night sky. Sometimes he would teleport to the very top roof of Beacon to try and get as close to the sky as possible. This night, he had decided to watch it again...to see if anything seemed...different, after all that had happened to him.

Currently, nothing had changed.

"Hey, Emin." Surprisingly, Emin did not jump when Ruby, also in her pajamas, leaned on the balcony next to him.

"Ruby? Why are you not asleep?" Emin asked.

"Can't. I drank too much tea." She said. "What about you?"

"I just felt like star watching." He said.

"It is pretty nice." Ruby agreed.

The two leaders leaned on the railing, staring up at the sky, neither saying a word until Ruby spoke.

"Hey, Emin, why did you want to become a Huntsman?" She asked.

"Why?" Emin stopped to think about that...why DID he want to become a Huntsman?...It was kind of a weak reason, but it was the only thing he could think of.

"Someone very important to me was a Huntress." He said. "She was amazing, and everybody adored her...and I, just wanted to be like her...so I decided to become a Hunter."

Ruby nodded. "That's a nice reason. Growing up, I always wanted to become a hero like the ones I saw and read about. Protect the world and defeat evil." She giggled. "Now that I'm finally here, though...I'm really nervous."

"Ditto." Emin admitted. "Right now, I don't feel like I can achieve the level that she did...never become a Hunter as good as she was..."

"Do you have to be?" Emin looked at Ruby. "I understand if that's your dream, but...if you keep comparing yourself to this person, won't you always feel unhappy when you don't reach that goal?"

This response came like a punch in the face. Admittedly, Emin probably shouldn't have revealed this goal of his to anybody. But...now it was coming into question, he didn't know what to make of it.

"That's...the only thing I've ever known." Emin said quietly.

"...Well, on behalf of Team RWBY, we think your awesome." Ruby told him. "Even if you think your not as good as that person, your plenty good enough to be a Hunter."

Emin stared at her in shock. Nobody had ever said something like this to him before...all he had ever known was...and now...he didn't know what to make of it.

...It felt...good.

"So, let's both be the best leaders we can be!" Ruby cheered.

"...Yeah." Emin nodded.

A downcast look then crossed Ruby's face. "Oh no...sugar crush...I gotta get to bed..." She then slouched her way back to the dormitories.

Emin smiled watching her go, and then looked up once again.

The stars did seem brighter tonight.

 **Emblems/Insignias**

 **Emin Phlox: A dark purple star with sharp arrowhead edges, and a black spiral void in the center.**

 **Azure Bolt: A sapphire blue magician's hat with a lightning bolt shaped top, and a sharp 'X' on the front of it with a curved brim that looked like two scythes.**

 **Strawberry Peaches: A bright pink flower with a smiling face in the centre, with wrenches sticking out inbetween the petals.**

 **And here's the next chapter! Sorry if it took a little while you guys. But anyway, some stuff is revealed in this chapter, like a little bit more of Emin's personality (at least I HOPE you guys got that) and the name of his Semblance: Begone.**

 **Ad next two chapters, we're going to learn a little more about not only Emin, but Azure and Strawberry too! So, as always, thank you guys so much for reading! Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and I shall see you all next chapter! Until then!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Guardian Hunters Part 1

It had been several weeks now since the new school year at Beacon Academy had begun, and everybody had pretty much settled into their routine. For Emin, these past few weeks had been a bit more dramatic then he'd liked.

For one thing, Jaune had been bullied a lot by Cardin since day one, and that seemed to escalate just last week, turning into a nasty looking situation in Forever Forest. And now, for some reason, Cardin was leaving Jaune alone!

Emin found it very confusing...and he might have been a bit jealous.

And then there was the revealance of the Vytal Tournament. This would be the sixth one Emin would see, and the first one he would partake in...that was a scary thought.

"Hmmm..." Ruby scrunched her face up in thought as her team, JNPR, and Emin sat together like they always did, with Azure and Strawberry keeping a watchful eye.

"What's up?" Yang asked her.

"You remember that job we did for Professor Peach?" Ruby asked. "Her name sounds very familiar..."

"That's because it's Strawberry's last name as well." Ren said, seeing as Blake was too engrossed in her book to answer.

"Professor Peach is Strawberry's mother." Emin stated. "They've both been at Beacon since Strawberry was a teenager."

"Strawberry and Azure sure do watch out for you, huh?" Yang said, looking over at them.

"Well, they ARE my guardians." Emin reasoned.

"And, Strawberry is the official leader of your team, right?" Weiss asked sceptically.

"Yeah, why?" Emin wondered.

"Well, Azure seems to be the more logical one, whereas Strawberry...uh..." Weiss trailed off as she saw Strawberry pulling a funny face to try and stifle her boredom.

"She's too airheaded and ditzy!" Nora declared.

'Look who's talking...' Everybody present thought.

Emin just shook his head. "Nope, Strawberry's definitely the better leader."

"What? Why?" Weiss pressed, making Emin lean away from her as if she was the conversation itself.

"I'm sure Team SEA has their reasons." Pyrrha saved him. "I've never actually seen either of them fight before, maybe it comes down to battle prowess."

"I thimk they're both pretty cool." Everbody looked at Jaune. "What? Just saying."

Emin gave a small smile and continued eating, before being interrupted by some pained gasps. The group of teams turned around to see Cardin poking a carrot into Velvet's face.

"Some things never change." Blake commented in disgust, which only Emin understood fully.

"Alright, that does it." Yang stood up. "This has gone on for too long, time for action!"

"Yeah! Leg breaking time!" Nora cheered, suddenly pulling her hammer out of seemingly nowhere.

"No!" Emin jumped in front of them. "Yang, I know it's wrong, but intervening will just make it worse!"

"Emin, c'mon! Velvet's your friend, isn't she?" Yang pressed.

"Of course! But..." He hesitated.

"No buts! Your coming with me!" She grabbed Emin by the back of his uniform and dragged him along.

"Y-Yang! Stop!" Emin pleaded.

"She's very persuasive." Pyrrha noted.

"Hey! Cardin!" The bully turned to Yang and a shaking statue Emin sweating swiftly. "Leave her alone, right now, got it?"

Cardin hesitated, but then smirked when he saw Emin, who froze further at the action. "Okay, okay, we were just playing, that's all." Russel Thrush and Dove Bronzewing, letting Velvet hurry past, but not before giving Emin a worried look.

"What's your deal, Cardin? Going around picking on people make you feel tough? 'Cause I know tough." Yang crossed her arms for intimidating effect, whilst Emin continued to be terrified.

"Woah, hey, nobody's looking to start a fight." Cardin said, though still with a nasty grin. "Can't we talk about this? Y'know, sit down and...cool off!?"

Suddenly, Emin gasped as a bucket of water was dumped over his head by Sky Lark behind him, leaving him soaking wet as Team CRDL laughed at his misfortune.

"Emin!" Ruby gasped.

"You little-!" Yang growled. "What was that for!?"

Cardin stopped himself from laughing to speak. "What? You didn't know? Your little friend Emin has a pretty wet reputation around here." He snickered at his own joke.

"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha asked as everybody walked over.

"Why, Everbody's heard the story of Philip Flood." Cardin laughed. "He flooded the library when he was a kid!"

"Philip Flood?" Blake echoed.

"P-Please don't call me that..." Emin shivered.

"Oh right!" Cardin continued. "Guess what? This guy's first name is Philip!"

"Your first name is Philip!?" Nora gasped.

"So then, why are you called-" Weiss began.

"Eminence is my middle name." Emin explained through chattering teeth. "I always preferred it over my first name, and everybody called me it, so I just stuck with it."

"Yeah, and I'll tell you what, you can make a lot of great names with it!" Cardin grinned. "Let's see...Mr. Flood, Wet-min, Drippy Philip's a good one."

"You are SO dead!" Yang threatened as she made to punch him.

"Yang!" She stopped at the voice. "That's enough. No need to cause a commotion." Azure walked over to the commotion.

"But Emin's your teammate, isn't he?" Ruby pleaded.

"More importantly, aren't you supposed to take care of him?" Ren accused.

Azure looked at them with a calm smile. "Strawberry's gone off to get some blankets, go and get yourself dried off, Emin."

"Okay, Azure." Emin nodded.

"Here, we'll go with you." Ruby offered as she, Blake, Pyrrha and Jaune accompanied him out of the mess hall.

Cardin snickered. "So Mr. Bi Blue Bodyguard makes his move. What, get bored of watching your little leader get drenched.

Yang made another threatening step forward, but Azure extended an arm to stop her. "We don't want to cause a commotion. Mr. Winchester, how about we deal with this problem a bit more...practically?"

Cardin stepped forward and folded his arms. "I'm all ears."

 _RWBY_

"Here, Emin." Strawberry said as she handed him a cup, the teen being covered in too many fluffy blankets. "Hot chocolate, straight from the pot."

"I only got a little wet, Strawberry." Emin told her, accepting the cup nonetheless.

"But I can't have my little Emin catching a cold!" She cried.

"Still though, were ALL the blankets necessary?" Blake asked.

"And the hot chocolate?" Ruby added.

"You seem to be enjoying them." Emin pointed out as the four accompanying friends held their own mugs.

"That's unimportant." Ruby dismissed it as she drank.

"How are you feeling, Emin?" Jaune asked. "If there's anything we can do to help-"

"Thank you, Jaune. But I'm fine, really." Emin interrupted him. "Besides, this is a regular thing anyway."

"This happens often?" Pyrrha asked worriedly.

"Yeah, it's no big deal." Emin shrugged. "I've had worse. There was this one time when I opened the Janitor's Closet and I got flooded."

"So you, uh, really flooded the library?" Jaune asked, making Emin wring his hands around his cup. "S-Sorry, sensitive subject?"

"Yes..." Emin said, gripping his cup tightly.

"Strawberry, if you and Azure are his guardians, why don't you do anything about this?" Blake questioned her.

Strawberry looked at the floor guiltily. "I do want to help Emin, I really do, but...it's an order from Professor Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch."

"From the headmaster?" Ruby asked.

"It's so that Emin can learn to act for himself." Strawberry said. "And, Emin, I don't want you to think that your completely helpless, but I don't want you to think your alone either...it's...it's very confusing and frustrating..." She tightened the grip on her cup. "I...I just want what's best for you."

"I know, Strawberry." Emin nodded. "I know I'm never alone, and I know I'm not defenceless, so you don't have to feel bad."

Strawberry smiled brightly. "Awww, your such a sweetie!" Emin was then once again smothered in a hug, as the remaining four looked amongst themselves.

There then came a beeping from Jaune's pocket, and he reached in and pulled out his Scroll, activating it to see Nora. "Nora? What's-"

"Guys! Guys! Get down to the sparring hall right now!" She told them excitedly. "Azure and Cardin are gonna fight!"

Strawberry spat out her hot chocolate in alarm. "Huh!?"

 _RWBY_

They ran into the hall, quickly spotting their remaining teammates sitting at the front with a whole class present.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked.

"Azure just straight out challenged Cardin to a fight!" Weiss exclaimed.

"I am gonna enjoy this." Yang grinned, leaning forward in her seat.

"Why is everybody here?" Jaune thought aloud as they sat down.

"Miss Goodwitch made the match official and announced it." Ren said.

"Goodwitch did?" Strawberry asked in surprise.

"Looks like something's happening." Pyrrha said as two figures made their way into the ring.

Cardin smirked confidently, holding his mace casually over his shoulder. "You made a big mistake challenging me, this won't end well for you."

Then, Azure walked onto the stage, twirling his weapon in his left hand by his side. It was a long cobalt blue sceptre with a black iron sphere at the bottom, and what looked like a black gear in the centre with a green light glowing above it. At the neck was a crystal ring, out of which two small metal bat wings extended out, whilst a rainbow coloured crystal acting as a spear jutted out as its head.

"Ladies, gentleman." He spoke smoothly as he spun the sceptre between his fingers. "My name is Azure Ray Bolt, and today..." He spun the weapon above his head with one hand, then held it out, facing his opponent. "I am gonna give you an amazing show."

"He's fighting with something he can twirl between his fingers?" Weiss thought aloud.

"That's Chaotic Order, Azure's weapon." Emin whispered whilst Strawberry beamed with pride.

"Ha! Your planning to fight me with a flimsy thing like that?" Cardin chuckled as he held his mace out. "This is gonna be too easy."

Glynda Goodwitch herself steeped forward, as a screen lit up over the combatants, displaying their full Aura gauges. "Now...let the match begin!"

Cardin charged straight at Azure, who was unfazed by the malicious intent, and as Cardin swung his mace, Azure jumped...

...And sailed in a giant arc across the room, landing perfectly on the other side of the arena.

"Woah! What a jump!" Ruby cried in admiration.

"How is that even possible?" Blake gaped.

"Hey! Get back here!" Cardin ran and swung at Azure again, but he simply spun his sceptre around, countering the blow and sending him staggering back. The leader unleashed a flurry of blows from every direction, but Azure simply had to move his fingers ever so slightly to make Chaotic Order block every one. As Cardin went to knee him in the gut, he once again made an impressive jump away. "Stop jumping away! Fight me seriously you coward!"

Azure shrugged. "If you insist." He twisted the top of the staff, making the two steel 'wings' join together, and then attach itself to the crystal, transforming the weapon into a bisento.

"Haaaaaaah!" Cardin charged at Azure and swung with all his might, whilst Azure swung his weapon with moderate effort.

And Cardin was easily overpowered as the weapons clashed, sending him flying across the arena.

"Impossible!" Weiss said aloud. "There's no way he could have overpowered that!"

Azure simply smiled as he returned his weapon to its sceptre form, whilst Cardin struggled to his feet. "Right then, I think it's time for the conclusion." Azure expertly spun his weapon. "For my last trick, I'm going to blow you away."

"You...don't mock me!" Cardin charged full throttle at Azure.

He simply held Chaotic Order forward, the top pointing directly at the incoming Cardin. "Aaaaaaand kazam." Suddenly a twister of wind burst out of the sceptre, barreling straight into Cardin and sending him crashing to the ground before it disappeared, the screen above them showed Cardin's Aura in the red, whilst Azure's remained untouched.

"That concludes this match." Glynda Goodwitch announced. "The winner is Azure Bolt."

"Azure RAY Bolt if you please, Miss Goodwitch." Azure smirked, causing her to give him a look. "I hope you all enjoyed that."

"Y-You..." Azure turned ro see Cardin get back up. "There's no way that power could have come from a flimsy thing like that! What did you do!?"

Azure raised an eyebrow. "Well, a magician usually doesn't reveal his tricks but...I suppose, since you want to know."

He casually walked to the center of the battlefield, and rested Chaotic Order on the ground, not taking his hand off of it. "Believe me when I say, Mr. Winchester, that my weapon is not flimsy." He released his grip from his weapon.

And the entire battlefield cracked and caved in underneath its weight.

"Wow!" Nora gasped.

"This weighs exactly 1,000 tonnes." Azure said. "Concentrated into just this weapon, its pretty heavy." He walked around it for emphasis.

"But you see, Mr. Winchester. The trick here is, weight..." He picked the 1,000 tonne weapon up effortlessly with his pinkie. "...Means nothing to me."

The stadium glowed pink before the cracks repaired themselves. "Please keep your hand on your weapon at ALL times Azure." Goodwitch sighed.

"Right, sorry." Azure swung Chaotic Order over his shoulder and left the arena. "See ya, and leave Emin alone, got it?"

"He's a wizard." Ruby whispered in admiration as he came over to them.

"So then, ice cream anybody?" Azure asked. "My treat."

"Heck yeah!" Everyone smiled as they walked out together.

Meanwhile, Cardin was left seething, glaring daggers into Azure's back.

 **Weapon Bio**

 **Azure's Weapon: Chaotic Order**

 **Chaotic Order is a 'Heavy Dust-Powered Bisento Flail Sceptre' that weighs 1,000 concentrated tonnes, though practically all of this weight comes from the iron sphere attached to the bottom. It has a special jet powered barrel that allows it to fire Dust at an extreme speed, amplifying its power and effect.**

 **Another new chapter! I know this isn't my usual update time (it's early morning over here in Britain) but I am so excited and eager to write more of this story!**

 **By the way, just to let you guys know, I've changed Emin's theme song, purely because I found this one which I think fits him perfectly. It's called 'Dark On Me' by Starset if you wanna check it out, and I have updated Emin's bio on Chapter 4 with it.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are always appreciated and motivate me to write more! So, I shall see you guys next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Guardian Hunters Part 2

"I'm telling you! Strawberry!"

"Stop joking around, obviously it's Azure!"

It was the dawn of a brand new day, and Teams RWBY and JNPR were sitting together at the table like usual, though today the area had broken out into a heated discussion.

"No, I'm telling you! Strawberry's definitely the better leader of Team SEA!" Ruby said. "If you were with us you would've seen it!"

"Are you kidding? Ruby, did you SEE Azure fight yesterday?" Yang argued. "C'mon! He's gotta be the better leader.

"Maybe, but Strawberry showed a lot of good personality traits." Pyrrha nodded.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed. "Right, Blake?"

"I'm reading." She ignored them.

"Aw, what? Combat is where it's at!" Nora grinned. "Right, Ren?"

"I'm staying out of this." He stated.

"Can't we just agree they'd both make good leaders?" Jaune suggested.

"NO!" Ruby, Yang, Nora and Weiss cried.

"Good morning, guys." The conversation halted as Emin sat down. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Ruby said quickly.

"Studies." Weiss replied.

"Fighting." Yang stated.

Emin stared at their nervous faces blankly, but just shrugged it off and started eating, making them sigh in relief.

"Morning, everybody." Azure waved as he and Strawberry walked over.

"Hey, Azure, Strawberry." Emin greeted them.

"Listen, Emin." Said teen looked up at Azure. "We just got a mission to go collect some Dust from Onyx Cavern, and we were wandering if-"

"Let's go together!" Strawberry interrupted him. "Your lesson is in the evening today, so we have plenty of time to go! It'll be our first mission together as a team!"

"Y-Yeah, that's the gist of it." Azure sighed. "What do you think?"

"Alright, if I can work together with you two, then I'd love to." Emin agreed.

"Yes!" Strawberry cheered.

"Your going to collect Dust?" Pyrrha thought aloud. "Is Beacon Academy running out?"

Azure snorted. "Trust me Pyrrha, you don't have to worry about Beacon running out of Dust. No, this is a new shipment for an independant village. We've got to help those who wish to remain that way out as much as possible...eeeeven if they don't want it."

"Ooh! Ooh! Can we come with you guys?" Nora pleaded. "I wanna see how Dust is mined!"

"Huh?" Jaune gaped. "Um...aren't I team leader?"

"We'll come too!" Ruby volunteered. "It'll be...fascinating!"

"...I...don't see why not." Azure shrugged.

"An expedition!" Strawberry squealed. "I'll go and pack!" She then dashed off excitedly.

Azure sighed. "She can never keep still...okay, Onyx Cavern is just West of the Beacon Cliff's, just look for a big gaping cave mouth, got it?"

"Sure." Everybody nodded.

"I'll go get ready then." Emin nodded as he jumped through a portal.

"And by that he means he's going to scrub the windows." Azure huffed. "I'll get him." He then turned and went off.

As soon as Team SEA was gone, Ruby, Yang, Nora and Weiss all leaned in with their faces inches away from each other. "What was that? You just want to go to see Strawberry acting like a leader so you can rub it in our faces!" Weiss hissed.

"You guys started it!" Ruby accused them.

"Whatever, we're gonna prove Azure is the better leader!" Yang declared.

"You guys seriously need to tone down your rivalries." Blake stated whilst Jaune chuckled nervously.

On another table, Team CRDL had heard the whole conversation...

 _RWBY_

Soon Teams RWBY, JNPR and EA had gathered outside Beacon Academy dressed in their regular clothing, weapons on hand.

...Wait, Team EA? Strawberry wasn't there!

"I'm here! I'm here!" Everybody turned and jumped back as they saw Strawberry carrying a giant green backpack on her back, it almost dwarved herself!

"Geez, Strawberry! How much did you pack!?" Azure said.

"I brought a packed lunch for everybody!" She beamed. "Plus some first-aid kits in case anybody gets hurt, ropes if they fall down a hole, torches, rubber gloves, bobble hats-"

"Why bobble hats!?" Azure cried.

"It could get cold!" Strawberry defended herself.

Emin, meanwhile, looked at her clothing. "Hey, Strawberry, are you bringing your pouches?" He pointed at the two velvet red pouches with golden silk lining hanging at either side of her waist.

"Just as a precautionary." Strawberry nodded. "So, are we ready? Then let's go!" And so the group began setting off.

"Hey, um, guys?" Yang and Weiss looked back as Nora walked next to Ruby. "I'm switching sides, Strawberry is really cool!"

"Traitor!" Yang whispered with a clenched fist whilst Ruby childishly stuck her tongue out at her sister.

The Teams made it to Onyx Cavern easily, trekking carefully through the jagged entrance. Thankfully, they didn't have to worry about darkness thanks to the Dust crystals sticking out of the wall to illuminate the way.

"Alright, guys. Dust mining is as simple as it sounds." Azure told the group. "Just find a big ol' Dust crystal, break it out of the wall by any means necessary, then come back to the entrance and just dump it here, then I'll have it shipped off to be ground up into Dust."

"Sounds simple enough." Weiss nodded.

"We should have a race to see who collects the most!" Strawberry beamed.

"Heck yeah!" Nora agreed.

"More importantly, we should try and stick together." Azure spoke rationally. "To make sure that nobody gets los-"

"Onyourmarksgetsetgo!" Suddenly Strawberry and Nora sprinted off down a path.

"Oh, I guess this is happening then." Emin nodded before jumping through a portal.

"Ah! I don't wanna get left behind!" Ruby said as the remaining members scattered, leaving Azure on his own.

"...Well...that happened." Azure stated, before taking a seat on a rock. "And now I wait..."

 _RWBY_

Emin had never mined a Dust rock before...but being out and about like this was really exciting, and he had to wonder how many loopholes Strawberry and Azure had to jump through to let him come out like this...nevertheless, he had to do this!

Equipping Eclipse Star in its claw form, Emin grabbed a good crystal chunk and pulled as hard as possible, wiggling it around until the rock eventually gave way and he pulled it out.

"There...now..." He looked around, seeing no other one's. "Finding these is actually kinda difficult..." He opened a portal to the entrance, stuck his hand through then dropped the crystal before retracting his arm as it closed.

"Ah, so here you are."

Emin turned at the sound of the familiar voice. "Hey, Weiss. Have you got any crystals yet?"

"Not yet." She admitted, looking around. "I'll admit, it's nice to see a Dust cavern that doesn't have my families insignia above the entrance."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Emin asked.

"What? Have you never heard of the Schnee Dust Company?" Weiss questioned him.

Emin pondered for a second. "It...rings a bell...or maybe it's just because its your last name."

Weiss huffed. "I guess it's...refreshing to meet somebody who doesn't know about my family."

"Why's that?" Emin continued as he reverted Eclipse Star to its shuriken form.

"I'm just used to it, that's all." She shrugged.

Emin just stared at her blankly, he didn't understand what she meant...but he went along with it. "Okay then."

"I've never even been inside a Dust cavern before...kind of ironic h-Ah!" She stumbled as a portion of rock gave way at her feet. "What was that!?"

"I guess the ground is unstable." Emin reasoned.

"Don't say that so calmly!" Weiss rebuffed as she carefully took tentative steps. "Just...gotta...mo-woaaaaaah!" Suddenly the ground gave out underneath her and she fell.

"Weiss!" Without thinking, Emin fell too and grabbed her wrist, before holding Eclipse Star up. The weapon spun rapidly and the two were lifted skyward by a sudden upward force, until they were suspended in the air, slowly floating down.

"Aaaaahhhh..." Weiss exhaled as calmly as possible. "That...never again. Thanks Emin...er, how are you doing that?"

"Wind Dust." Emin stated, as Eclipse Star spun with a small twister around it, acting like a propeller. "My weapon mainly relies on it for its spin."

"Makes sense I suppose." Weiss said with a forced laugh as the two slowly descended to safe ground.

"Right then, no more cave searching for me." Weiss said as she brushed herself. "I'm going back to the entrance, thank you very much."

"You two aren't going anywhere." The two froze as the voice echoed around them, and Team CRDL emerged from around the corner.

"What are you guys doing here!?" Weiss demanded.

"We just overheard your little expedition plans." Cardin told them. "Don't worry, we're not here for you, we're here for him."

"W-Why me?" Emin cried, flustered.

"Your little teammate made a fool out of me yesterday." Cardin said. "I'll admit I can't beat him, but I can still knock his precious little leader around."

"That's low." Weiss hissed as she held out Myrtenaster.

"Wait, Weiss." Emin tried to stop her. "Fighting will just make things worse!"

"And they're not bad enough already?" Weiss asked as Team CRDL advanced on them.

"Hold it right there!" Everybody stopped and looked behind Emin and Weiss, as none other then Strawberry stood there, still carrying her massive backpack. "Your not touching a single hair on their heads!"

"Oh look, it's the ditzy one." Sky Lark commented, making the group chuckle.

Strawberry dropped her backpack and stepped in front of Emin and Weiss. "You two, head back to the entrance. I'll deal with these guys." She unwrapped the chain around her belt and held it as a proper whip. This was her weapon; Requited Love.

"Right, thanks Strawberry!" Emin said. "C'mon, Weiss!"

"Hey! Hold on!" Weiss called as she chased after him.

"Stop!" Cardin made to run forward, but the sharp sound of a whip cracking and a clattering chain stopped him.

"Your opponent is right here." Strawberry stated.

"You think you can take all four of us on?" Cardin asked as the team spread out.

"If your so confident, you strike first." Strawberry challenged them.

"Since you asked so nicely!" Dove Bronzewing leapt at her from the side with his shortsword raised, but Strawberry simply swung the chain whip into his chest, sending him flying back.

Sky Lark attempted to stab her in the back with his halberd, but Strawberry held the chain of her whip taut behind her back, blocking the weapon mid-stab before she ever so kindly kicked him in his manhood, sending him sprawling to the floor clutching said area.

Russel Thrush charged at her head on with his daggers held either side, so Strawberry pressed a button that retracted the chain, reducing her weapon to a sharp knife. Nonetheless, she parried his blows with expert precision, and as he made a forward lunge she stepped out of the way and elbowed him in the back, sending him face-down into the dirt.

Cardin swung at her, but she simply stepped back repeatedly to dodge his swings, before she pointed her weapon at him and clicked a button on it, causing two little prods on the end of wires to launch and attach to Cardin's chest, before delivering an intense electric shock that made him spasm violently and fall to the ground...in other words, he was tasered.

Team CRDL groaned in pain as they lay helplessly on the floor. "I win!" Strawberry beamed cheerfully. "I suppose I'd better bring you guys back with me then...hold on." She reached into the pouch on her left side, pulling out four seeds which she dropped to the ground. "Annnnnd grow."

Almost instantly, vines grew from the seeds and binded the defeated teens. "Aaaaaah! What is this!?" Cardin screamed.

"It's my Semblance; Supergrowth! Really helps with the gardening." Strawberry sang. "I'll have Azure come and pick you guys up. Toodles!"

"Hold on! Don't just leave us here!" But she was already gone.

Meanwhile, Azure was sleeping against a rock. "Azure, Azure." Emin nudged him, making him stir and awake to see him and Weiss.

"Oh...Emin, Weiss..." He stood up. "How are you guys doing? We done?"

"I think so." Emin said, looking at the pile of Dust Crystals at the entrance.

"More importantly, we got ambushed." Weiss told him. "Team CRDL showed up."

"Oh, those guys?" Azure shrugged. "No problem, seeing as you two are still here, I take it Strawberry's on it."

"Yep." Emin nodded.

Weiss sighed. "Okay, I'm gonna go and see if I can find the others." She then headed off down a different tunnel.

"And now we wait." Azure said, sitting back down again.

"...Um...Azure?" Emin gestured to the entire vicinity around them.

Closing in on the pair was a group of small dog sized Grimm. They had the appearance of black geckos with red markings along its body, its googly eyes sticking out of its white and red mask, with some sticking out their long blood red tongue. These were Necro Gecko's, reptilian Grimm.

"Wonderful." Azure stated blandly as he held Chaotic Order, whilst Emin gripped Eclipse Star.

"Guyyyyyyyyyyyys!" The shriek broke the dramatic standoff as Strawberry ran to her teammates and wielded Requited Love. Team SEA now stood together. "Our first fight together as a Team!"

"Let's not mess it up then!" Azure stated.

One of the Necro Gecko's whipped its tongue at Emin, but he simply knocked it away then stabbed it with one of its shuriken blades. He then stuck his hand into the slot, and the blades, instead of forming a claw, straightened out and attached to one another, transforming into a lance. As two more of them attacked, Emin swiped with the lance, cutting them in two before stabbing a third.

Azure twisted the gear on his sceptre, changing the light from green to red. He then aimed it and blasted a stream of fire that caused the Necro Gecko's to cry in pain. "Don't like fire, huh? Good to know."

Strawberry meanwhile retracted the chain and flipped it back, making a nozzle stick out, transforming it into a pistol before shooting three of the Grimm through the head, then quickly turning it back into a chain whip to smack two more across the face.

As the last of the Necro Gecko's leapt forward, Emin gave a wide slash with his lance, whilst Azure shot a large fireball and Strawberry caused several sharp reeds to spike up and impale the last of them.

"Oh...my...GOSH! We are AWESOME!" Strawberry cheered.

"That went really well." Azure nodded.

"Heh...Yeah." Emin smiled.

"Well done guys!" The trio turned to see Teams RWBY and JNPR running over.

"Sorry, but it looks like you guys handled it great!" Yang smirked.

"Congratulations!2 Nora cheered.

"Thanks, everybody!" Emin smiled.

"Right, I think that's enough excitement for one day." Azure said. "Let's get these Dust crystals back to Beacon. Don't worry, I'll carry it."

"Ah, yeah." Strawberry remembered. "Can you carry Team CRDL as well?"

Azure gave her a half-lidded look. "Seriously? Again?"

 _RWBY_

"Ugh, I'm exhausted..." Ruby groaned as she laid in bed, Team RWBY dressed in their pajamas as the night blanketed the sky.

"It was a pretty long day." Blake admitted.

"I guess we never did find out who was the better leader." Weiss sighed.

"To be honest, I completely forgot about it." Yang admitted.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Huh?" Ruby went to answer it, seeing a familiar face, also in his pajamas. "Emin?"

"Evening, Ruby." He greeted them.

"Us too." Pyyrha called from behind them, revealing Team JNPR also in their nightwear (Jaune in particular shifted uncomfortably in his bunny PJ's.)

"What are you guys doing here?" Weiss asked.

"You wanted to know who is the better leader, Azure or Strawberry, right?" Emin asked.

"What!? How did you know that!?" Yang gasped.

"You all talk very loudly." Emin replied, making most of the members cough nervously.

"So, I presume your going to tell us?" Blake guessed.

Emin nodded. "I still believe that Strawberry is the proper leader...so, I want to show you why."

He lead them over to Team SEA's door, placing a finger to his lips to signify silence, before very gently opening the door, and gesturing for the others to look in, some climbing over the others in order to look in. The first thing that they saw was Azure, sprawled on the bed, fast asleep.

"The truth is, Azure is really lazy." Emin whispered. "Reeeeeeally lazy. He once slept through a week. And he doesn't really work very hard whenever he can get out of it."

"Woooooaaaah..." Nora breathed as if it was an interesting fact.

Emin then shifted his gaze, and everybody else followed suit. The gaze now shifted to Strawberry, who was sat at a wooden desk, working on something whilst being illuminated by a lamp. Several different flowers sat in pots around him, and work tools of every shape and size hung around here.

"And Strawberry...is incredibly smart. she's the one who designed and built all of our weapons, and she's really good with plants as well. There was one time when she got offered to be the top weapons specialist at Atlus...but..." His grip on the door tightened. "She turned it down to stay here with us...and she's...the closest thing I have to a mother..."

"I never thought that Strawberry was like that..." Weiss mumbled.

"...Hey, Emin?" Ruby asked. "Why are you showing us this?"

Emin paused at that. "Uhh...I don't know." He said honestly. "I've never really told this to anybody."

"So, why us?" Jaune asked.

"I..." He thought about that, then he turned to them with a smile of realisation. "I like you all...your my friends and...and I trust you."

"Well, you can trust us to keep this secret." Blake nodded, with a secret smile.

"Awwww! Friendship hug!" Nora and Yang then enclosed the group in a big hug together.

And in that moment, squished in together between his friends, Emin was truly happy, and in the room, Strawberry smiled warmly and Azure smirked in his sleep.

 **Weapon Bio**

 **Strawberry Peach's 'Requited Love' is a Pocket Taser Pistol Chain Whip Knife, which functions like a pocket knife in being able to switch between its functions quickly and easily.**

 **Another new chapter! Still so very pumped! I love writing this, so I hope you guys are enjoying this!**

 **I hope you guys have learned more about Azure and Strawberry this chapter! Next chapter, Emin's going to meet some more new friends, but will also be in some big trouble! Next chapter, it's The Stray!**

 **But now...I'm finally putting this to rest...the matter of Emin's theme song.**

 **I've decided, since I'm an indecisive idiot, that I'm going to write my own theme song for Emin. In fact, I've already written it! It's called 'Poison Life', and its significance and symbolism shall be revealed as this story continues.**

 **I've left the transcript below. I know this may seem dubious, but please just try to read and bear it. Thank you.**

* * *

 **Emin's Theme Song: 'Poison Life'**

 **Lyrics by OPFan37**

 **Cover Picture: Emin's silhouette can be seen in the centre holding Eclipse Star out to the side, with a purple background showing a black outline of Beacon Academy, whilst the silhouettes of Strawberry, Azure, and one other unidentified person can be seen in the background.**

 **Composition: The music starts very slow and quietly, played by guitar or piano, keeping a sad, melancholy rythm to it. It then increases in pace after verse three with some more notes added in, then abruptly stops before the final chorus, pausing before reverting to a simple, few note sad tune, which ends with a long note.**

* * *

 **I am isolated, I've tried my best.**

 **Glass walls and a padlock on my chest.**

 **But the bloody shadows do not rest.**

 **I feel defenseless in this nest.**

* * *

 **They surround me, and spit acid.**

 **I feel the weight of what I did.**

 **This guilt and agony cannot be hid.**

 **Of this sin will I ever be rid?**

* * *

 **There is no day, there is no light.**

 **Only the bullet in the gun and the glint in the knife.**

 **There's only wrong, there is no right.**

 **I am in pain from my poison life.**

* * *

 **I've tried to find salvation.**

 **Looked for the rays of the sun.**

 **But of rest and freedom I've found none.**

 **And all I can do is uselessly run.**

* * *

 **I'm held down by the ghosts of my past.**

 **So many hurt on my behalf.**

 **My heart is beating far too fast.**

 **In this world alone I cannot last.**

* * *

 **There is no day, there is no light.**

 **Only the bullet in the gun and the glint in the knife.**

 **There's only wrong, there is no right.**

 **I am screaming from my poison life.**

* * *

 **I stumble, I fall, I bleed, I cry.**

 **I turn my head to the darkened sky.**

 **I suffer as long as I'm alive.**

 **I never wanted you to die.**

* * *

 **I can't move on, I can't let go.**

 **No-one around me can ever know.**

 **Hatred, anger, misery, sorrow.**

 **In this darkness I've sunk too low.**

* * *

 **There is no day, there is no light.**

 **Only the bullet in the gun and the glint in the knife.**

 **There's only wrong, there is no right.**

 **I am dying from my poison life.**

 **...My poison life.**

 **...My poison life.**

 **...My poison life...**

* * *

 **Well, if you did read that I hope it was...bearable. Thank you for taking the time to do so.**

 **BUT! As always! I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this chapter, reviews are always welcome and appreciated, and I will see you all next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: About Town 

A new day, a new beginning, to work that is. Well, for Emin at least. He was chasing up people on late library books before returning them to his most comfortable habitat, wearing his regular attire.

The Vytal Festival was slowly becoming more and more prominent, there were info boxes on his Scroll about it, letters being handed out, the usual stuff.

Apparently Vale was preparing for the Festival again, Emin didn't really want to go. Or at least, that's what he told himself...besides, Azure and Strawberry were away on a mission today, so the chances instantly hit zero. Better to just get on with some jobs instead of complain about it.

"Emin! Emin!" Just as he put away the last of the books, he saw Team RWBY run over to him.

"Hello, everybody" He greeted them. "What's going on?"

"We're heading into Vale to check out the preparations for the Vytal Festival." Blake said. "We were wondering if you'd like to come too?"

"It's very nice that your offering, but, sorry, I can't." He replied.

"Huh? Why not?" Yang asked.

"Azure and Strawberry are away on a mission today." He told them.

"So? You don't need them everywhere you go, do you?" Weiss asked.

"No, but I'm not allowed outside of Beacon without them, and even then I need permission from the Headmaster." Emin elaborated.

"To be honest, I don't blame ya." Yang mumbled. "All Weiss wants to do is go to the dumb docks."

"Not just for that!" Weiss argued.

"Sorry, but I really can't. Thank you for inviting me though." And so he returned to his work.

"...What, just like that!?" Weiss cried, offended.

"Hmm...team meeting!" Ruby declared, before pushing her teammates out of the janitors earshot. "It's obvious Emin wants to go! But I think he's just too nervous."

"He didn't give that impression to me." Blake said, looking over at him.

"Well, if my sis says he wants to go, then I say he wants to go!" Yang exclaimed. "We gotta bust him out of here!"

"You make it sound like Beacon is a prison." Weiss said.

"For Emin, it's a prison of emotions!" Yang declared.

"That makes literally no sense." Weiss sighed.

"Then it's settled!" Ruby stated. "Alright, here's the plan..."

"Oh no..." Weiss mumbled.

 _RWBY_

Emin walked along the corridor at a slow pace, he was planning to catch up on some reading he had been doing. Though, he had felt pretty bad about turning Team RWBY's offer down, but he knew the consequences of stepping outside Beacon without supervision...still didn't make him feel any better.

He was distracted from his thoughts by a knocking sound. Curious, he looked around, and after a second knock, he turned towards the window to see a familiar leader outside of it, waving at him.

Confused by her location, Emin opened the window. "Ruby?"

"Hey, Emin!" She said, before wobbling around. "You know how we invited you to come with us about...10 minutes ago? Well Team RWBY talked about it and-"

"Ruby! Just stop talking and pull him out! I can't take this much longer!" Emin jumped at the sound of Weiss' voice, which led him to peer down out of the window. His eyes then subsequently widened in shock as he saw Team RWBY formed as an unstable totem, with Yang at the bottom, Blake on top of her, then Weiss, and Ruby at the top.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked in bafflement.

"We're gonna help you get out of Beacon!" Yang called up as she kept a steady footing.

"You REALLY didn't need to do this." Emin exclaimed.

"It was Ruby's idea." Blake told him.

"Let's go, Emin! I don't think we can keep this steady much longer!" Ruby cried.

He looked at the RWBY stack with a mix of emotions, mainly guilt. He knew he wasn't allowed to leave the Academy...but they had gone through so much trouble just to try and get him to come out, he didn't want to hurt their feelings again. Maybe...if it was just for a little while."

"Alright, I'll come." Emin said.

"Yes!" The tower cheered.

Emin then proceeded to create two portals and walk through them, appearing outside next to Yang. "Are we gonna go now?"

"Oh for the love of-AH!" Weiss screamed as the tower collapsed, leaving the girls in a mess in front of Emin. "If you could do that, why did we need the stupid tower!?"

"Again, Ruby's idea." Blake repeated.

"Mission complete!" Said leader sprang to her feet. "Let's all go see the festivities!"

And so the five made their way to town, Emin deliberately hanging back and hovering near Beacon as long as possible before following them.

 _RWBY_

Vale was filled with both visitors and workers as colourful balloons and banners hung from every shop. Team RWBY strolled down the busy street, an awe-struck Weiss leading in front whilst Emin hung at the back, nervously looking around.

"The Vytal Festival! Finally! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" Weiss exclaimed with raised arms.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss...it's kinda weirding me out..." Ruby admitted.

Weiss turned to her. "How could you not smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!"

Yang sighed with folded arms. "You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring."

"Quiet, you!" She snapped in reply.

As the small group passed by the street, towards the docks (indicated by the sound of a foghorn) Emin continued to look around nervously. His eyes suddenly caught something in one of the shop windows, and, curious, he went to investigate.

Yang huffed. "Remind me WHY exactly we let you drag us away to the docks of all places when we could spend our Friday afternoon doing anything else?"

"Ugh, it smells like fish!" Ruby groaned, pinching her nose.

"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this FINE kingdom!" Weiss explained.

As she started to walk away, Blake turned to her other teammates. "She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament."

"You can't prove that!" She scoffed, but then stopped. "Hold on...one, two, three...where is Emin?"

"Huh? Emin's gone?" Ruby realised.

"Wow! He moves quietly." Yang chuckled, impressed.

Meanwhile, Emin was in one of the stores, staring straight at a small thing on a shelf, his face mere inches away from it. The thing looked like a red grinning cat, but its head was far too big. It intrigued him.

"Excuse me, sir?" Emin gestured the shopkeeper over. "Do you know what this is?"

"What, that? That's just a little bobblehead." The shopkeeper dismissed it.

"Bobblehead?" Emin echoed in confusion.

"Yeah. You just push it's head and it bobbles, see?" The shopkeeper demonstrated by pushing its head, making it wobble around on the little plastic body.

"...I like it." Emin stated.

"You can buy it if you want." The shopkeeper shrugged. "Just 3 Lien."

"Okay." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pink fuzzy card slip-esque wallet with white hearts all over it. Before the shopkeeper could question the choice of design, he gaped as Emin pulled three Lien out of a massive stack.

"Woah, kid. That's a lotta Lien you got there." He said.

"Strawberry gives me a lot of pocket money. I've never had to spend it before though." Emin told him, purchasing the bobblehead. "Thank you very much, sir." He then turned and walked out of the shop, staring at the bobblehead as if it was made of solid gold.

He was then distracted by another sight, and rushed into a different store, pressing his face up to the glass. "Excuse me, miss? What is that?"

"That's a donut, pal." The baker lady said.

"So THAT'S a donut. It really does have a hole in the middle!" Emin admired it with childish fascination. "I still think that's pretty stupid though. How much for the chocolate one?"

Soon he emerged from the bakery, the donut already half eaten, before his eyes wandered again and found something else. "That looks cool!"

When Team RWBY had found Emin after being drawn away from a shop robbery crime scene, they found him zipping from store to store with an excited grin on his face, each time emerging with a new knickknack or type of food before finding and disappearing into a new shop.

"He's like a kid in ten candy stores." Yang observed.

"Ah! Guys!" Emin ran over to them, carrying a backpack filled with toys, gadgets and trinkets, whilst he wore a sombrero on his head. "Look at all this cool stuff!"

"I had no idea you were a shopaholic." Ruby said.

"Oh yes! I got stuff you you all, too!" He happily handed them a little gift each. "They all reminded me of you!"

Ruby cheered happily as she recieved a little red glass rose, whilst Weiss glared at the big-eyed white owl figure she got. Blake felt a shiver run down her spine at the accuracy of her black cat necklace, and Yang smirked as she held a red toy hammer with a black flame design.

"Uhh...thank you, Emin." Blake said, still not comfortable.

"Your welcome!" He beamed. "It's fun buying stuff! I've never really been able to before!"

"Wait, what does that mean?" Weiss asked.

"Hey, stop that Faunus!" She was interrupted by a cry from the docks. The group rushed over to investigate, only to find a tanned-skinned, golden haired Faunus with a long monkey tail running away from some sailors.

"Thanks for the ride, guys! Haha!" He laughed, jumping from the ship onto the shore.

"You no-good stowaway!" A second sailor yelled.

He used his tail to hang from a lamppost whilst he peeled a banana. "Hey! A 'no-good' stowaway would've been caught! I'm a GREAT stowaway!"

Before he could eat, a detective below threw a stone at him to get his attention. "Hey! Get down from there this instant!" The Faunus' response was to drop the banana peel onto his face.

He then laughed before twirling up and leaping off, then starting to sprint, passing by the protagonists before becoming smaller and smaller down the street.

"Well, Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes..." Yang stated.

"Quick! We have to observe him!" Weiss declared, before she, Ruby and Yang gave chase, whilst Blake was lost in thought and Emin just stood there.

"I guess this is happening now." Emin shrugged. He peered down the street to see the dot of yellow that was the Faunus disappear round a corner, before he opened up a portal and stepped through it right in front of him. "Hello."

"Woah-ho!" The Faunus stopped as Emin appeared in front of him, still with a carefree smile on his face. "Neat trick there, dude. So, you gonna catch me or something?"

"I don't really know how to 'catch' someone." Emin admitted. "I'm just interested, that's all."

"Good to know." He chuckled, looking over his shoulder. "Introductions are gonnnnna have to wait though, so just know I'm Sun Wukong, 'kay? See ya round!" He then began climbing up the wall of a building.

"Wasn't that in itself an introduction?" Emin thought aloud.

"Sal-u-tations!"

He only just became aware of someone behind him. He turned to be met with an orange curly haired girl with green eyes, wearing a grey and black combat shirt with black stockings.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realise you were there." Emin apologised.

"No need to worry!" She replied enthusiastically. "You just appeared in front of me! That was a cool trick!"

"I guess when your on the other end it does-"

CRASH!

The conversation halted as Weiss barreled into Emin's massive backpack, making him take the girl down with him.

"No, he got away!" Weiss complained.

"Uhh...Weiss?" Yang pointed at the giant bag she had fallen onto, which was strapped to a now squished Emin and the girl knocked down next to him.

"Sal-u-ta-tions!" She repeated to the new group.

"Um...hello." Ruby said, before looking at the bag. "Weiss...I think you've killed Emin."

"Don't say something like that!" Weiss cried.

Emin himself struggled into a sitting position, rubbing his face after forcefully kissing the pavement. "Are you both...okay?" Yang asked.

"I'm WONDERFUL, thank you for asking." The girl beamed, turning to Emin. "How are you?"

"I'm alright." Emin nodded, standing up and brushing himself down. "Do you need a hand up?"

The girl paused for a moment before responding. "No, thank you. But I appreciate the offer!"

"...Do you...wanna get up at all?" Yang elaborated.

Another pause. "Yes!" She leaped back onto her feet, making Team RWBY step back a little. "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hi, Penny. I'm Ruby." Ruby introduced herself.

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Blake hit her in the side. "Oh, I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said.

"You already said that." Weiss pointed out.

Penny paused again. "So I did!"

"Uh...is this a friend of yours, Emin?" Yang asked.

"We only just met, but, yes, I suppose so." Emin reasoned. "I'm Emin, by the way." He then realised that she was now staring at him with wide eyes. "Um..."

"Well, sorry for running into you!" Weiss hurriedly told her before turning around to set off again.

"Did you just say that I'm your 'friend'?" Penny asked him.

"Yes." Emin replied, making her look like she just saw the worlds best fireworks display or something.

"Take care, friend!" Ruby waved, which made Penny squeeze Emin's arm in shock (and make him silently scream in pain).

"Did she also call me a 'friend'? Your my friend, so I can ask you this, right?" She asked him hurriedly.

"Y-Yes, she did." Emin struggled to remove his twitching arm from her iron grip.

"Let's go talk to her!" Emin was then pulled along by Penny until they appeared in front of the group. "You called me that, right?"

"'That'?" Yang looked apologetic. "Oh, I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me!"

"No, not you!" Penny moved over to Ruby. "YOU!"

"ME!? I-I don't know. I, what I, um, uh..." Ruby stammered, giving pleading eyes to Emin, who could only return the look.

"You called me 'friend'! Am I really your friend?" She asked.

"Ummm..." Ruby looked over her shoulder to see her teammates giving her denying motions, then looked at Emin, who glanced at Penny and gave a slight sad look. "Y-Yeah, sure! Why not?" Whilst her teammates comically fainted, Penny looked overjoyed and laughed.

"Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" She cheered.

"I'm right here." Emin pointed out.

"Ah! Right! Your my friend too!" Penny cheered. "We can do all that too! We'll be a friend triangle!"

"Oh, is this what it was like when you met me?" Ruby groaned to Weiss.

"No. She seems FAR more coordinated." Weiss replied.

"So... what are you doing in Vale?" Yang asked her.

"I'm here to fight in the tournament." Penny told them.

"Wait, YOU'RE fighting in the tournament?" Weiss gaped.

Penny saluted. "I'm combat ready!"

"That confirms it." Emin said.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." Weiss pointed out.

"Says the girl wearing a dress." Blake commented.

"It's a combat dress!" Weiss argued.

"Yeah!" Ruby said as the two 'combat dress' wearers high-fived.

"Wait a minute." Realisation seemed to dawn on Weiss, walking over to Penny and grabbing her by the shoulders. "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed...rapscallion?"

"The who...?" Penny asked.

Weiss held up a hideously bad drawing of the 'criminal'. "The filthy Faunus from the boat!"

"Why do you keep saying that!?" Blake raged.

"'Filthy Faunus' is a bit extreme." Emin timidly agreed, though his voice was unheard.

"Huh?" Weiss redirected her attention from Penny to Blake.

Blake angrily marched over to Weiss. "Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Weiss released Penny and motioned to objects around her. "Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamppost as a lamppost?"

"Stop it!" Blake yelled.

"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!" Weiss shouted.

As the argument escalated, Emin began to look more and more uncomfortable and saddened, shifting around with his feet and looking away, as if to block out the competing anger. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that would make it stop, but memories began to flood his mind and...and...

He couldn't take it. Emin hurriedly opened up a portal and jumped through it before closing it just as quickly.

"He disappeared!" Penny gasped in amazement. "See you soon, Emin! Friend!"

"Emin?" Ruby asked in a worried tone as Weiss and Blake continued to argue.

 _RWBY_

Outside of Vale, Emin was on his hands and knees, his bag thrown to one side. His eyes were wide with horror as he breathed heavily, sweat running down his face as he forcefully pushed the memories back into the darkness of his mind.

"No more...no more..." He pleaded to himself, clenching his fist against the ground. "This was a mistake..."

He slowly rose to his feet, wiping away the sweat and steadying his breathing. He then grabbed his bag and began dejectedly dragging it along the ground with him, walking back to Beacon alone...

Unbeknownst to him, a figure was watching from the shadow of an alleyway. He wore a basic grey uniform, and a mask reminiscent of a Grimm. He was a member of the White Fang.

The figure hurtied down into the darkness of the alleyway, and checked in every direction for signs of life before he pulled out a Scroll and activated the call function. Soon, a burly, masked face, the Lieutenant, appeared on it.

"Sir, this is an urgent report from Vale!" The soldier spoke.

"This better be important, soldier." The Lieutenant warned him.

"Sir, I am reporting a confirmed sighting of The Catalyst within and just outside Vale!" The soldier said.

"Escorted?" He asked.

"No, sir. Unescorted."

"Impossible. Beacon wouldn't let The Catalyst outside its walls without backup."

"It's confirmed, sir."

"You told me that!" The Lieutenant growled. "Stay in Vale until the designated deadline, then move to the ordered location. I need to report this to the leader."

"Sir, yes, sir." The soldier nodded before deactivating his Scroll.

At the White Fang's facility, the Lieutenant entered a planning room filled with holographic maps and plans. "Sir, there's been a report." A man wearing a black suit with wild red hair and a similar Grimm mask turned to him. "There's been a confirmed report of The Catalyst being sighted in Vale. Unescorted."

"So openly?" Adam Taurus thought aloud. "This is far too close to our heist time. It is obviously bait. Or perhaps we can allow ourselves the fleeting thought that Beacon's headmaster has loosened his grip on his weapons leash..."

"Our course of action, sir?" The Lieutenant asked.

"The heist in two days time will proceed as planned. Torchwood will be on that, and I want Rust supplying us. The Catalyst shall not be allowed to become a main focus." Taurus told him. "...However, it shall still be a major benefit if procured nonetheless. Tell Leo Gold I want him on this job."

"No need." A gruff voice spoke. "I already heard you."

A figure walked into the light, he had a muscular, heavily tanned body structure, and piercing feral blue eyes. Dark, dirty blonde hair wildly spiked and swayed out from his head all the way down to the small of his back, and curved around the sides of his face as a spiky beard, giving it the appearance of a mane. He wore a heavy crimson red iron breastplate with golden chains wrapped diagonally around it from top left to bottom right, and a large iron belt with a gold lion's face roaring on the front of it, over a tattered red cloth, the suit of a gladiator. He wore gold armoured leg plates with spiked metal shoes, and his left arm was covered in black tribal flame tattooes. On his right arm he wore a golden gauntlet across his forearm, resembling the shape of burning flames, with five, long, sharp, blood red blades acting as claws extending out from it. Strapped to his back were four black cartridges pointing in different directions, and in the centre of them, on the back of his armour, was the current White Fange emblem, emblazoned in red.

"Good, then I don't need to repeat myself." Taurus turned to the lion Faunus. "I want you on the next heist job. If you see The Catalyst, I want you to subdue it and bring it back to us, killing is out of the question on this matter. If it is not an immediate target, just focus on bringing back the Dust."

"When do I leave?" Leo asked.

"Two days, arriving under the cover of nightfall." Taurus told him.

"I shall begin preparations immediately." Leo bowed. "Sir." He excused himself, before walking out of the room.

"If Beacon wants to play one-on-one, they shall." Taurus said. "Let's see how this plays out..."

Leo Gold walked into the darkness, his animal eyes piercing through it.

 **Leo Gold Biography**

 **Race: Faunus (Lion)**

 **Weapon: Wrought Justice**

 **Gender: Male**

 **Age: 29**

 **Outfit: Silver, Gold, Red**

 **Accessories: Chains, Sash, Cartridges, Belt, Emblems**

 **Handedness: Right**

 **Complexion: Tanned Brown**

 **Height: 6'7**

 **Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde**

 **Semblance: (?)**

 **Affiliation(s): White Fang**

 **Previous Affiliation(s): (?)**

 **Occupation: Martyr**

 **Status: Active**

 **Alright! Another new chapter! We're coming up to the end of Volume 1, everybody! Are you excited!?**

 **So, a few things are revealed and foreshadowed in this chapter, which I hope was secretive enough for you all, and more about our new friend Leo Gold will be revealed next chapter!**

 **Until then, thank you as always for reading! Reviews are always welcome, appreciated, and encourage me to write more! See you next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Protect and Save 

After Emin had returned from his little outing, he had become more aware and defensive, though tried his best not to show it. Thankfully he was able to hide his mountainous bag of trinkets in an ingenious hiding location; the janitor closet. The only thing he kept was the bobblehead in his pocket. He liked it.

Of course, he was also constantly worried that Ozpin or Goodwitch might creep up on him and accuse him of going out without permission. He believed to have got away scot-free with Azure and Strawberry though, since they acted normally.

It had been two days since then, and the leader found himself more and more noticing of Team RWBY, though not in a good way. Whenever there was even a chance of him seeing them, even if it meant creeping behind them in class, he would take the chance. The reason why was because...Blake wasn't with them, for two whole days, and he began to worry.

He found himself thinking back to the conversations he had with Blake and the way she acted that day...about her being a Faunus, and how she tried to protect the White Fang...for him, it wasn't exactly difficult to work out she had some form of history with them.

Still though, Blake was not like the current White Fang. She was nice, she was calm, she was...his friend. And that just made him worry more...

"Emin?" He was brought out of his thoughts by Strawberry, who was looking at him worriedly. "Are you okay? You've been very quiet."

"I have?" He feigned ignorance. "Sorry, I don't mean to worry you."

"No worries! It's fine!" She chirped. "Just say if anythings on your mind, okey-dokey?"

"I promise." His heart broke a little from the simple lie, and he discreetly bit his lip.

"Hey, Emin..." He looked up at Azure. "There's been a lot of White Fang activity in town, so, uh, Ozpin wants you to just...stay around Beacon, you know, the usual, until things calm down a bit."

"Sounds like every other day." Emin shrugged.

Azure laughed, with a hint of bitterness. "Yeah...guess so."

Emin ate his food slowly. It was official lockdown then...that sucked. Blake's disappearance was eating away at his guilt (of course, a small part of himself nagged that it was HIS fault she was gone) and he knew she wasn't around Beacon...

At that moment, he decided something incredibly stupid and not normal of himself.

 _RWBY_

Emin walked as hurriedly and as discreetly as possible through the streets. This was a ridiculous idea. Sure, all it took was a few warp jumps to get from Beacon to Vale, but SOMEBODY was going to notice he was gone soon enough! So he had to search quickly and efficiently...

"Blaaaaaaaaake! Blaaaaaaaaaaaaake!" Unfortunately, Emin had never searched for someone before, so his method was to run around screaming his friends name, gaining odd looks from those passing by.

"Bla-oh!" He stopped before almost bumping into someone who looked very familiar. As soon as she turned around and saw him, her face lit up.

"Salutations, Emin!" Penny saluted him. "It's so nice to meet you again! It's been so long!"

"Hello, Penny." Emin waved. "It's, uh, been two days...is that a long time?"

"It's FELT really long to me! So...yes?" She sounded unsure of herself. "Anyway! How are you today?"

"Um...n-not that good to be honest." He admitted.

"Huh? Your not okay?" She asked worriedly. "What's wrong? Can I help?"

"...Actually, I would be really grateful." Emin nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course! Because your my friend!" Penny confirmed. "What do we need to do?"

"I'm looking for Blake, the black haired girl?" He described her.

"Oh, you mean the Faunus?" Penny elaborated.

"Wait, you knew?" Emin asked.

"Yes, it was kind of obvious." She stated.

"I...guess so." Emin thought aloud.

"Okay then! I'll help you search for her, Emin!" And so she turned and began marching off, with Emin hurrying along behind her.

They hadn't searched for long before they saw Ruby, Yang and Weiss walking down the street. "Ah! Look! It's Ruby! Our other friend!" She then grabbed Emin by the wrist. "We can all search together as friends!"

"Ah! P-Penny! Hold on a second!" Emin pleaded in vain as he was dragged along by a surprising amount of force.

"I think that when we hear it, you'll all realise _I_ was right." They heard Weiss say.

"And I think Weiss' hair looks WONDERFUL today!" Penny commented, making the three of them turn around.

"Aaaah! Penny! And...Emin? Where did you two come from!?" Ruby exclaimed.

"Hey, guys! Whatcha up to?" Penny asked, ignoring the question. "Me and Emin were just looking for someone!"

"You too? We're looking for our friend, Blake." Yang said.

Penny gasped happily. "Us too! We're looking for the Faunus girl too!"

"Wait, how did you know that!?" Ruby asked.

"Uhh, the cat ears?" She pointed to her head for emphasis.

Weiss laughed slightly. "What cat ears? She wears a...boooohhh..." A tumbleweed blew past them as realisation struck.

"...It was kind of obvious." Emin said.

"She does like tuna a lot..." Ruby whispered.

"So, have you found her yet? We've had no luck." Penny pouted.

"No, nothing, she's been gone since Friday." Ruby told her.

"Well don't you worry!" Penny said as she gave a group hug to Emin and an uncomfortable Ruby. "Now I can help BOTH my friends! I won't rest until we find your missing teammate!"

"Technically, she's not my teammate." Emin mumbled.

"Uh, that's really nice of you, Penny, but we're okay! Really! Right, guys?" Ruby turned, only to find Weiss and Yang gone, followed by an awkward pause.

"It sure is windy today!" Penny noted.

That left the trio to walk down the sidewalk and continue their search with Penny looking like a giddy schoolgirl just walking with the two of them.

"So, Blake is your friend? And your friend?" She asked the both of them.

"Yes, Penny." Ruby sighed.

"Why else would we be looking for her?" Emin pointed out.

"Ohhhh, right." She nodded. "But, your mad at her?"

"Yes. Well, I'm not, Weiss is." Ruby told her.

"Is SHE friends with Blake?" The ginger persisted.

"Well, that's kind of up in the air right now..." Ruby admitted.

"But WHY?" Penny continued.

Ruby sighed again. "Well, you see, Blake might not be who we thought she was..."

"Is she a MAN?" Penny asked, making Emin's eyes widen in shock at the suddenness of the question.

"No! No, Penny. She's..." Ruby sighed a third time, before properly turning to Penny to talk to her. "I don't know what she is. She didn't exactly talk to us before she decided to run off."

"I don't have a lot of friends, but if I did, I would want them to talk to me about things." Penny said.

Ruby turned her gaze towards the ground sadly. "Me too..."

Feeling the sadness from Ruby, Emin deliberately slowed his pace to walk next to Penny. "...So...you don't have a lot of friends?" He wasn't good at small talk.

"Nope, just you two." She replied all too cheerfully.

"...Do you want to talk about anything?" He was trying at least.

"You!" She cried out. "Tell me about you!"

"Um..." Emin was a bit thrown off by the answer. "W-Well I'm...not all that great...I kinda mess up a lot, I mean, technically I'm not even supposed to be out here at the moment...but I want to find Blake."

Ruby, still walking ahead, tilted her head slightly towards the conversation.

"You must be a really good friend." Penny said.

"I...wouldn't know. At least not yet." Emin shrugged. "I didn't have many friends either...but now..." He clenched his fists close to his chest. "Now I feel like I have...a lot of friends...and I don't want to lose them."

The three of them continued walking on in silence.

 _RWBY_

They weren't silent for long, though. A large explosion from the docking bay quickly caught thrir attention.

"Oh no..." Ruby whispered, before the three of them started running towards the commotion.

"We should split up to try and surround them." Emin suggested.

"I call high ground!" Ruby said as she began jumping on top of a building, whilst Emin ran through an alleyway, whilst Penny followed her.

Emin ran out into the docking bay as he saw Blake, Sun, and an orange haired man wearing a white suit and wielding a cane standing there.

Before he could stop him, the suited man fired a blast at the building, knocking Ruby off and sending Crescent Rose spinning away.

"Ruby!" He cried out, and without thinking grabbed Eclipse Star and ran towards him. "Stop!"

"Oh come on! Now who's THIS!?" the man huffed.

"Emin!?" Blake gasped.

"Hey, that's-!" Sun started.

Before Emin could go any further though, another figure walked out in front of him, and he screeched to a halt. This figure was a lion Faunus, and was wearing gladiatoresque battle armour.

"You..." Emin studied the mans face carefully.

"We meet at last, Catalyst." The Faunus spoke.

"What? Hold the phone." The suited man interrupted him. "Your saying THAT brat is The Catalyst? Is this a joke!?"

"You have your own problems, Torchwick." The Faunus dismissed him as Penny was advancing on him.

"Penny, wait! Stop!" Ruby tried to halt her.

"Don't worry, Ruby. I'm combat ready!" Penny assured her as several swords emerged from her backpack.

"That will be a problem." The Faunus observed.

Seeing another one of his friends fighting, Emin swiped his weapon out to the side. "G-Get out of my way!"

The Faunus fixed his hunting gaze on him. "Your not in the position to make orders." He held his right arm out, which had his claw weapon on it. "Come with me." He then surprisingly swiped at him from the side!

Emin squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact...but none came.

Slowly, he opened his eyes to see the back of a crisp, dark blue twin-tailed suit.

"Azure!" He gasped.

"Azure..." The Faunus also said as he stepped back, his claw having been blocked by Chaotic Order.

"Long time no see...Leo." Azure spoke in a deadly serious voice.

"Emin!" He was suddenly helped to his feet.

"Strawberry!?" He cried.

"What do you think your doing!?" She panicked. "I was worried sick about you!"

"I...I..." Emin couldn't find the right words to say.

"It doesn't matter!" Azure stated, holding his weapon. "Strawberry! Take Emin and get him back to Beacon, now!"

"But-!" Emin tried to stop him, looking at his other friends fighting Roman.

"GO!" He shouted, making Strawberry back away.

"Hey! HEY!" Roman got out a Scroll. "Listen up! I got The Catalyst here and its getting away thanks to a bunch of brats! Get more soldiers and more Bullheads after it ASAP!"

Meanwhile, Azure and Leo faced off against each other.

"Why are you here, Azure?" Leo asked him.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Azure muttered, containing his anger. "You've been working for the White Fang all this time!?"

"Not 'working'. Cooperating." Leo told him. "I'm simply fighting alongside those who share the same interests as me."

"Like I care." Azure muttered. "So you think it's just okay to go around causing all this fear!? What happened to you, Leo!?"

"I faced reality, OLD friend." Leo snarled. "The only way to change the world is with force. History is proof of that."

"Your the one who walked out on us." Azure growled. "We don't matter to you anymore!? What about Viola!? DOES SHE MATTER ANYMORE!?"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HER!" Leo roared. "Keep her out of this, Azure! I am doing what I believe is right! If you stand in my way, I will not hesitate to strike you down!"

There was a pause, before Azure laughed bitterly. "...That's that then...fine..." He spun his sceptre inbetween his fingers before holding it out. "I'm doing what I believe is right too...sorry about this."

Suddenly Leo's eyes widened as he hunched over, and the ground underneath him cracked.

"Gahahaha..." He coughed. "There it is...your Semblance...Gravity. It's how your able to wield that weapon of yours, and jump so high, right? Gravity bends to your will...but..." Slowly, he began to rise until he was at his full height. "We both trained under this pressure! If you think you can beat me like this, your sorely mistaken!"

"Okay then...how about this?" Azure held his sceptre out as a twister blasted forth and engulfed Leo, sending him skidding back as he shielded himself from the powerful wind.

Suddenly, Leo leapt forward through the tornado straight at Azure, but the magician held his hand out and made Leo stop and dig his feet into the ground as Gravity pushed against him like a storm.

Using his strength, Leo pulled his claw back and took a swipe forward, sending the five red claws flying forward like throwing knives. Azure's eyes widened and he just barely jumped, launching 30 feet into the air, as the knives impaled themselves into the ground.

But Leo wasn't done. He flicked his fingers upwards and the knives rose from the ground, then threw his hands forward, sending the knives flying at Azure, who backflipped midair to dodge them. With every little twitch of Leo's fingers, the knives would change direction or launch as they tried again and again to stab Azure on his falling descent, who simply leaned out of the way every time. When he got close to the ground, he stopped, then floated down to solid footing as gentle as a feather.

"That was annoying..." Azure muttered.

"Remotely controlled." Leo stated as the knives returned to him and reattached, turning into a claw once more.

"Something like that-" Before Azure could finish his sentence Leo ran at him again, claw held out, ready to slice him in two. He quickly turned the gear on his weapons body, changing the light from green to blue before holding it out and launching a torrent of water that splashed into Leo and forced him back, whilst also leaving him dripping wet.

"You ever done science?" Azure asked as he switched the light from blue to yellow, and electricity crackled around the end of the sceptre. "Take THIS!" A giant bolt of lightning shot from the weapon and exploded into Leo, causing debris and sparks to fly everywhere.

Azure peered into the smoke, only to recoil when he saw Leo standing there, dusting his shoulder, steam emanating from his body.

"You didn't think that would work again, did you?" As soon as he said that, a fire erupted behind him, which then began to twist together, forming itself into a dragon which charged at Azure, who once again did a trememndous jump into the air to avoid it.

'Leo's Semblance...Pyrokinesis...' Azure thought to himself. 'But where did he get the...fire...' It was then that he noticed the four red flame cartridges strapped to Leo's back, pumping out streams of fire whilst wasting only a pinch of dust every second.

"Another gift." Leo said, just before he enveloped himself in fire and launched skywards towards Azure with the speed of a meteor! Thinking quickly, Azure held his hand out, and Leo's gravity was reversed, sending him crashing back into the ground.

Azure floated back down to the ground, only for fire to spring up around him, trapping him in a ring of flames as Leo stood back up.

"You never were one for fighting PROPERLY." Leo muttered.

Azure just grinned casually as he swung Chaotic Order over his shoulder. "Sorry, Leo, but up close and personal isn't my go-to fighting style." He chuckled, leaning back casually. "I'm just too lazy for it."

Leo growled, and swiped his hand, throwing the red knives at Azure as fire descended down on him.

 _RWBY_

Meanwhile, Strawberry was dragging Emin through the streets, already having taken him far away from the docks.

"Strawberry!" Emin struggled to escape from her grip. "That Faunus-!"

"Emin, there's no time to explain." Strawberry told him. "We have to get you back to Beacon! Why in Remnant would you come out here? Ozpin is gonna flip!"

"Because I wanted to help Blake!" Emin cried, making Strawberry stop.

"You...wanted to help her?" She asked.

"Yes!" He finally made her let go of him, and the two stared at each other. "Blake was gone for two days, and I was worried about her, so I came looking for her! Because she's my friend!"

He breathed heavily as Strawberry stared at him in wide-eyed fascination, before he continued talking. "That Faunus...it was Leo, wasn't it? Leo Gold?"

Strawberry looked away, and nodded sadly. "Yes...that was Leo...just...not the one we used to know..."

"You always told me how strong he was." Emin continued. "And Azure...Azure is fighting him on his own!"

"Emin, don't think like that." Strawberry pleaded with him. "You know Azure, he'll be fine."

"But what if he's not!?" Emin screamed, his voice trembling. "I don't want Azure to die!"

"He won't die!" Strawberry sniffed, her eyes becoming wet. "Emin, please don't..."

"Strawberry..." Emin wiped his eyes. "I...I don't want it to happen again...I want to do something this time! I want to help him!"

"Emin, what can you do against someone like Leo?" Strawberry asked him.

"I don't know." He admitted, crying. "But if I don't...I'll never forgive myself!"

There was a silence between them, before Strawberry gave a mix between a laugh and a sob. "...You remind me of her so much...I'm so proud of you..." She wiped away her own tears. "Come on then, let's go help our teammate."

"Strawberry..." Emin breathed, before nodding. "Thank you!"

And so the two of them did a U-Turn, and ran back towards the battle, as several Bullheads emerged in the distance.

 _RWBY_

"What does he think he's doing!?" Roman raged from his escape helicopter, watching the battle from above. "This is no time to be picking useless fights!"

Streams of fire and red eyes flew at the midair Azure from every direction as he held his staff out, expelling small stone from it. Every time it looked like he would get hit, he would change his gravity direction and fly off to the left or right to avoid it.

As he landed, his eyes widened as Leo charged at him with a wild roar, and before he could do anything, the Faunus punched him in the gut with a flaming right hook.

Azure gasped as the wind was knocked out of his lungs and his eyes rolled into the back of his head, before he was sent flying into a building with a crash.

"You could never take hits, either!" Leo shouted as the knives returned to their claw form. "Do you really think your fighting style could beat mine?"

Azure staggered out of the debris, clutching his chest in pain with one hand whilst supporting himself on his weapon with his other hand. "Heh...I don't think so." He held Chaotic Order with both hands. "Time for a new trick, then."

He twisted the gear, and the iron sphere on the opposite end suddenly detached and crashed into the ground, leaving a crater as it was still attached to the sceptre via a chain. "1,000 tonnes." He effortlessly spun the ball and chain over his head. "Coming at you!"

He threw the ball, and Leo held up his left arm in defense as it smashed into him. There was a sickening crack of bones as Leo grit his teeth in pain, before he staggered back, his broken arm hanging limply at his side.

"Wow...can't believe you tanked that." Azure admitted.

Leo exhaled in ragged breaths, and helf his injured arm up in defiance, wincing from the pain. "I am a warrior...unlike you, I won't back down."

Azure rolled his eyes. "Oh, save the drama."

Leo held his claw out as the five red blades were set alight, and he gave a sweeping scrape across the ground, sending five slicing fire waves towards him. Azure rolled out of the way, dragging his ball and chain with him, when Leo stepped on the latter, preventing it from pulling it to him.

He threw the knives at Azure, then twitched his fingers to make them stab at him one by one, forcing Azure to block them with the body of the sceptre. A few more finger twitches cause the knives to rise up and fall down towards him, and Azure pushed the gravity up as a counter measure, making the knives clatter to the ground uselessly.

As the Faunus returned the knives to their claw form, Azure switched his sceptre to bisento form, and the two weapons clashed in a flash of sparks. They swung at each other sharp and fast, clashing again and again, but with Azure being pushed back by the sheer force of Leo's attacks.

Sensing an opportunity, Azure pulled the chain, along with Leo's feet from underneath him, making him fall onto his back. The human swung the ball down, and Leo rolled out of the way before his face could get smashed to pieces by a 1,000 tonne ball.

As he stood up, he was forced to bend over from gravity force once again. But this time, a boulder of stone and rubble hovered above him, ready to crush that which was beneath it. Leo's eyes widened as he remembered Azure expelling earth Dust whilst we was dodging, in preparation for this moment, before Azure swung his hand down, making the boulder fall down.

Leo roared as he punched the boulder with his claw, making it explode and unleashing a blast of debris smoke which made Azure shield his eyes, enough time for Leo to slash Chaotic Order with so much force that Azure was sent skidding across the ground, clutching his weapon tightly.

"Are you done!? Azure!?" Leo challenged him.

Using the sceptre as support, Azure struggled to his feet. "Not yet..." He panted before looking up at Leo. "Heh...this is tougher then I thought...but it doesn't really matter now...Emin's probably already back at Beacon. Tough luck."

Leo snorted. "The Catalyst wasn't the main objective, we have what we came for. But you, Azure...you've stood in my way...for that, I'll kill you."

For a moment, Azure didn't reply. But when he did, he spoke with grim seriousness, and barely suppressed rage. "Did you just call him...Catalyst?" He looked up in rage. "That DISGUSTING name that those monsters who want to use him like a weapon call him!? You just called Emin that!?"

He stood up at his full height and twisted the gear several times. "Now I'm gonna have to beat some sense into that damn stupid head of yours!" His sceptre began to shake violently. "I WILL protect Emin from people like you! And Strawberry as well!"

"Because of her?" Leo guessed.

"NO YOU IDIOT!" He screamed. "It's because they're my teammates, and my valuable friends! I will die before I let them get hurt!" Wind, lightning and water began to build around the end of the sceptre.

"Mixing dust?" Fire erupted around Leo, bathing him in a red and golden aura. "Did you forget how dangerous that is?"

"I remember." Azure muttered. "I'm just stupidly angry right now."

Leo charged st him with a roar, as Azure fired a lightning and rain filled twister at him.

The two attacks collided.

 _RWBY_

"Emin! Emin!" Said teen and Strawberry stopped as they saw Ruby, Penny, Blake and Sun run towards them.

"Hey, your all okay!" Emin sighed in relief.

"There's a whole bunch of Bullheads and White Fang members coming! They're after you!" Blake told him.

"We're hold them off, 'cause, y'know, we're awesome, but you need to get out of here." Sun said.

"No!" Emin refused. "I'm going to help Azure!"

"Emin, if the White Fang capture you-" Blake began.

"I know." He nodded, shaking with nervousness. "But I have to do this!" They stopped as several Bullheads approached them, with White Fang members dropping down and approaching them.

Suddenly, one of the Bullheads was sliced in half, its two pieces crashing down as everybody looked at Penny, her swords hovering behind her.

"Emin is my friend, so I'll help him! I'm combat ready!" She declared.

Several White Fang members were then shot down by Crescent Rose. "We'll cover you, Emin!" Ruby told him. "Go get 'em!"

"Heck yeah, we're doing this!" Sun cheered as he wielded Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang.

Blake held out Gambol Shroud, albeit somewhat hesitantly. "You go, Emin! Don't look back!"

"A-All of you..." He gasped, shocked at their will.

"Emin..." Strawberry placed a hand on his shoulder. "I believe in you."

Emin looked up and her and nodded. "Okay! Here I go!" He ran straight forward, as fast as possible.

"It's The Catalyst! Grab him!" Several White Fang members yelled as they charged, only for several light clones and Blake's to hold them back and allow him to run through.

As he looked forward, a massive explosion erupted from the docks, sending fire, lightning and steam flying into the air amongst a black cloud.

"Azure! AZURE!" Emin yelled desperately.

 _RWBY_

Leo Gold stood over Azure Bolt, who was lying on his back, breathing heavily, covered in burn marks.

"You knew you couldn't beat me." Leo stated.

"Hah...it doesn't...matter..." Azure coughed. "Emin and Strawberry are safe...that's all that matters..."

Leo closed his eyes, as if remembering fonder times. "Azure...you could never understand."

"You...think I don't understand...?" Azure wheezed, giving a faint smile. "How could I NOT...understand...after all the times you told me?"

"You were asleep every time." Leo said.

"...Fair enough." Azure admitted.

Leo shook his head. "Azure...know that I never wanted to fight you...or Strawberry...but I have chosen this path...for the good of all Faunus..."

"And humans...?" Azure asked.

Leo breathed out heavily, before he raised his claw. "Goodbye, Azure. It was an honour knowing you." The claw descended.

'Always had to see it through to the end...' Azure thought, as he remembered...four people...all smiling, laughing, happy to be in each others company...

Then he remembered two adults and one child, curled up into himself...all of them together, as a team...

'Strawberry...Emin...Viola...I'm sorry...' He closed his eyes, and a tear streamed down his face.

There was the sound of clashing metal, and he instantly opened his eyes.

A black, silver, and emerald green shuriken had stopped the blood red knives inches from his neck, as Emin leapt out of a portal, holding Eclipse Star.

"Emin!?" Azure cried.

"Catalyst..." Leo growled as he backed off, with Emin standing in front of Azure, holding Eclipse Star out to the side.

"Emin, what are you doing here!? Your supposed to be at Beacon!" Azure cried.

"Stay away from Azure!" Emin shouted at Leo. "Your fighting me, now!"

"...Looks like I'm not finished." Leo said.

"Emin...stop..." Azure pleaded. "He's...incredibly dangerous...if you fight him..."

"Azure..." Emin stopped him. "For as long as I've known both you and Strawberry...you've always protected me..." He gripped his weapon tightly and began to shake. "Once...just ONCE..." He glared into Leo's eyes.

"Let me protect you!"

 **Weapon Bio**

 **Leo Gold's Brilliant Justice is a Remote Controlled Throwing Claw Knife Gauntlet that is supported by the four flame cartridges on his back, designed for close ranged combat with fire-supported attacks.**

 **New chapter! Finally! Sorry this one took so long guys, but I am so ready to write! It's the RWBY Season 3 Finale! Which is also kinda sad...NO SPOILERS! I haven't watched it yet!**

 **But I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! This counts as another birthday present for The Fresh Prince of BANANAS/neonewray/Rose, who turns 15 today. Happy Birthday!**

 **So then, hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, and are anxious for the next one! Until then, thank you for reading, reviews are always appreciated, and I shall see you all next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Friends and Family 

"Brave words..." Leo said, taking careful steps forward. "But can you back them up!?" He swung at him with his claw.

Emin quickly set Eclipse Star spinning as the weapons clashed in a loud burst of screeching metal and red sparks as the two pushed against one another, glaring into the others eyes as the clash burst apart, making them both stagger back.

"Emin...run..." Azure continued to beg. "You can't..."

"Sorry, Azure." Emin huffed. "But I've made my decision." He opened a portal up underneath Azure, which he fell into before it closed.

"Fine then." Leo growled. "I'll deal with you and drag you back with me!" Fire erupted from the Dust-powered cartridges on his back, which then joined together into a dragon that flew towards the opponent with a sweep of his hand.

Emin held out Eclipse Star in front of him, still spinning, so that it acted as a shield with the flame dragon charging into the weapon. The leader held his ground until the fiery attack burst apart, before he switched his weapon to its lance mode, with the blades combining together.

He charged at Leo and slashed with his weapon, but the Faunus just leaned out of the way, so we swung again, but Leo parried with his claw, taking two more quick swipes which Leo blocked both times before launching a blast like a flamethrower from his back, forcing Emin to jump back to avoid his face getting burned off.

Suddenly, the fire spun around Emin and formed into a giant flaming twister, trapping him inside as he looked around desperately, seeing nothing but red and gold flames around him.

"Burn!" Leo roared as the twister suddenly erupted, incinerating the entire area within it. However, when the flames stopped, there was no body in the centre. "What!?"

A portal opened up above Leo, and Emin leaped through, clutching Eclipse Star in its spinning shuriken form tightly. Leo whipped his head around at the last second, and forced the two weapons to clash again, with the buzzsaw shuriken grating the blood red claws inches from his face, before he threw him off.

"That Semblance..." Leo muttered to himself. "It seems...unnatural..."

Emin switched his weapon into claw mode and clenched tightly as he jumped at Leo, throwing a punch. The Faunus responded with the same motion and their weaponised fists smashed into each other, launching out a powerful shockwave as wind blasted furiously from Eclipse Star to increase the strength of the attack, trying to overpower him.

"Wind Dust?" Leo couldn't help but chuckle. "Strawberry sure thinks of everything, doesn't she?"

"Shut up!" Emin shouted as he dived into a portal and emerged behind him, pulling back another punch, only for their fists to meet again.

As Emin was pushed back, Leo threw the knives, and Emin changed his weapon back into a shuriken to slice through the air and knock the blades back. But Leo twitched his fingers and the knives froze in midair, before once more turning on Emin, who widened his eyes and jumped back as the weapons began to chase him.

He dived into a portal, which the knives bounced off of harmlessly, whilst he emerged in midair, pulling his weapon back. "Hrah!" He tossed the giant shuriken, sending it spinning at tremendous speeds towards Leo, who simply had to sidestep to avoid it.

But a portal opened up next to the weapon, as Emin reached his hand threw and grabbed the weapon mid toss before falling through entirely and holding his arm back. Leo only had time to gasp in shock and hold out his right arm as the shuriken slashed at him with a screeching metallic sound of it grating against Leo's gauntlet, before Emin stumbled back, and dodged two waves of stabbing fire the emerged from Leo's back, putting a good distance between them.

"If Azure couldn't defeat me, what makes you think you can?" Leo asked.

"I don't know..." Emin admitted. "But I have to!" He changed his weapon into its lance form. "People I care about helped me come this far! For their sakes..." A portal suddenly opened up both in fron of Emin and in front of Leo. "I won't lose!"

Emin thrust the lance into the portal, where it emerged and stabbed Leo in the stomach. His eyes widened in shock and pain as he stumbled back, clutching his gut whilst Emin retracted his weapon and closed the portals.

"You...little brat!" Leo fell to his feet and hands and launched a powerful stream of fire from his back. Emin quickly reverted his weapon back into a shuriken, set it spinning, and sliced the flames in two, holding his arm with his other hand for leverage as he endured the flames.

Leo leapt towards him with a bestial roar, claws covered in fire as he slashed at Emin, who blocked with his blades. Flames licked dangerously close to Emin's body as he could feel the heat emanating from the weapon. He jumped back into a portal to distance himself, only for Leo to launch a storm of fireballs at him, which he responded to by holding out Eclipse Star, and blasting a strong breeze from it like a powerful fan, blowing the projectiles away.

As Leo ran at Emin, scraping his claws across the ground, leavigng deep gash marks as he went, Emin fell into a portal, and Leo halted as he looked around, trying to discern where he was. His eyes then turned skyward, and he saw the teen folling towards him from a great height.

"Using velocity to increase your power!?" Leo snarled. "Well bring it on, then!" Leo threw a skyward punch, launching several blades of fire into the sky towards the defenseless teen.

However, at the last second, Emin disappeared into a portal, then immediately emerged in front of Leo.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" He stabbed his weapon into Leo's chest with the speed of a car, and whilst the Faunus' Aura protected his skin from being pierced, he felt the full force of the hit and roared as he was sent flying back and crashing into a wall.

Emin breathed heavily as he struggled to even hold his weapon. He was running out of Aura, and was beginning to tire, he found it a miracle that Leo had been able to fight for so long without showing any form of fatigue.

"Heh..." Emin immediately returned to a battle stance as Leo stood up from the impact. "I underestimated you...if its come to this..."

A great burst of fire suddenly shot into the sky, with Leo in the centre of it, his golden hair flailing around wildly like actual fire as his golden eyes burned red. "I'll fight you like a true proud warrior!"

Using the fire, Leo launched himself at Emin with incredible speed and power, forcing him to hold up Eclipse Star just to block an insanely powerful claw slash. Fire burned into his chest, and he grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut to endure the pain.

Leo began a merciless assault of slashes and fiery stabs the kept Emin constantly backing away just to avoid getting impaled. The flaming Faunus effortlessly cut through Emin's Aura, leaving slashes across his chest, face abd legs as he was assaulted by flames, leaving him covered in burn marks.

He eventually let up his assault, and Emin staggered back, weakened and covered in injuries, his whole body wobbling as if he would collapse at any moment.

"Now...come with me." Leo repeated. "This is your last chance beofre I'm forced to knock you unconscious."

Emin stumbled over his own feet, but remained standing. "I...won't...let you take me...I won't...let you kill people I care about...I won't...back down and lose somebody I love ever again!" He held his arm out, Eclipse Star glistening in the broken moonlight. "I will FIGHT!"

"So be it." Leo sniffed as a pillar of fire erupted behind him, then switled together into a giant fireball in front of him. "This is the end!" He roared, and all of the fire was launched forward with the power of a rocket engine.

Emin changed Eclipse Star to lance form, pressing the button in the center just before it closed, making the lance spin around wildly, transforming itself into a drill.

"Haaaaaaaaah!" Emin stabbed the drill straight into the fire, making him dig his feet into the ground as fire burned around him, the two forces refusing to back down from each other, exhibiting overwhelming power.

The younger fighter began to sweat and breath erratically as the fire continued to push him back. "I can't...I can't..." He began to push back the fire more and more, the drill stabbing further and further into the golden flames. "I can't lose, no matter what!"

Leo's eyes widened, as for a moment, he saw the fleeting memory of a young woman, who looked very similar to the boy he was fighting, giving off the same determined Aura.

"Viola?" He thought aloud.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Suddenly, Emin's drill burst through the fire, and he charged directly at him.

 _'Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Penny, Sun, Azure, Strawberry...Viola...'_ He thought. _'I promise...I will become soneone you can depend on, and be proud of! For you! The people I hold dearest to me!'_

Eclipse Star drilled into Leo, making him scream in pain as Emin pushed the weapon into him with all his might, sending the Faunus crashing across the ground, lying in a crater of debris.

Emin breathed heavily, as he used the last of his remaining strength to return Eclipse Star to its shrunken shuriken form and place it on his back. With the last of his willpower gone, he fell forward, only to be caught mid-fall.

"Azure..." Emin wheezed, looking up at the equally injured team member.

"It's okay, Emin. Try to rest." Azure told him as he slung the teen over his shoulder, before Emin passed out. He then began walking, but not before stopping next to Leo. "...How did it come to this, Leo?"

"...You...know full well..." The Faunus weakly replied. Azure went to say something, but Leo stopped him with his next word. "Me. It...was always me..."

"Well, we all have our points..." Azure sighed. "Don't you think it could have been different?"

"It...could have..." Leo agreed. "Heh...I'm pathetic..."

"You said it yourself, your doing what you think is right. I just have a different opinion." Azure shrugged.

Leo gave a pained chuckle. "Vastly..." There was a short silence. "...I'm sorry, Azure."

"...Take care of yourself, Leo." Azure told him as he continued walking, and allowed the escape Bullhead to pick his old friend up.

 _RWBY_

"Emin!" Strawberry cried in horror as she ran over. "Is he alright!?"

"He's fine." Azure nodded. "A bit bruised and burned, but he'll live."

"My poor little Emin!" She sobbed.

"Man, that was pretty gutsy, what you did there." Sun admitted.

"Th-thanks..." Emin weakly waved, as Azure let him down. "I'm...I'm okay."

"Emin...I'm sorry." Blake apologised. "If you hadn't been here looking for me, then...Leo, wouldn't have-"

"You don't need to apologise, Blake." Emin smiled. "I'm just glad your safe."

"Yeah! Besides, Emin took care of it no problem!" Ruby raised her and Emin's fists in victory.

Their celebration was cut short however as the sounds of police sirens began to draw near. "Uh-oh..." Sun mumbled.

"Look! It's Yang and Weiss!" Ruby pointed to their teammates running over, with Blake obviously looking nervous.

"Cops isn't exactly he best thing right now." Azure sighed. "We should scatter while we can."

Meanwhile, Emin was looking around for one face in particular. He finally spotted her walking towards a black limo and ran after her.

"Penny!" He called, catching her attention.

"Ah! Salutations, Emin!" She greeted him cheerfully.

"I-I wanted to thank you...for helping me." He said. "Y-You really saved us back there."

"Of course! That's what we friends do!" Penny nodded.

"Um...maybe if I could..." He began frisking himself, and found his hands close around something in his pocket. "Here! I want you to have this!" He pulled out the bobblehead and placed it in her hands.

Penny stared at it with wide, happy eyes. "A gift!? Wooooooow! Thank you, Emin!" She then stared at it for several seconds. "...What is it?"

"Oh, it's a bobblehead." Emin explained. "You do this, see?" He poked the little trinkets head, making it wobble around.

"Ah! I see!" Penny beamed, poking it, obviously much more forcefully as the head bounced around as if an earthquake had struck. "Thank you, Emin! I'll take good care of it!" She then got into the limosine and waved at him. "Bye-bye!" The window closed and it drove away, leaving Emin standing there with a warm, pleasant feeling in his heart.

"There you are!" Azure said as he and Strawberry came up behind him. "We're getting out of here before we can get interrogated. I don't have the sleep resistance for those boring questions."

"Yeah." Emin agreed as he piggybacked on Azure's back whilst he carried Strawberry bridal style.

"Hands around the legs." Strawberry teased him.

"Ha, ha." He teased back, as he began jumping across the rooftops, effortlessly carrying the two of them back to Beacon.

 _RWBY_

The room was quiet. Ozpin stared at the information on his Scroll that Qrow had sent him intently. He sighed at the worrying news, but refocused as he knew that there were matters closer to home that he had to address first.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in." He said, making Team RWBY enter the room. "I'm glad you all could make it." He gestured for them to take a seat, but the team chose to remain standing.

"You...called us, sir?" Ruby asked nervously, with Blake trying her best to mask her fear.

"Yes, I did." Ozpin nodded. "Don't worry, your not in any trouble. I just wanted to talk." Blake remained on alert. "Specifically, about Emin."

"Emin?" Ruby echoed.

"I understand that you all and him were in Vale today." Ozpin continued. "Whether you know this next fact or not, I still have to confirm it."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

Ozpin stood up, leaning on his cane. "Emin is not allowed to leave Beacon Academy, without specialised supervision authorised by myself."

"What? Why? That's not fair!" Yang said, making Weiss shoot her an angry look.

"I understand your frustrations, but..." He sighed. "It is for the best."

"How?" Yang persisted.

Ozpin walked over to the window, and stared out at the night sky. "Perhaps, by now you have noticed, how Grimm seem to be most concerned with Emin?"

"They...are around him a lot." Weiss admitted.

"But Emin deals with them just fine!" Ruby defended him.

"It's not simply that matter." Ozpin continued. "The truth is...Grimm are drawn towards Emin. Like a moth to a flame, attracting large and powerful hoards. Confident Grimm. Ones that wouldn't hesitate to attack a town people lived in if Emin walked through its streets."

"If that's true, then isn't keeping Emin here putting everyone at risk as well?" Weiss asked.

"Weiss!" Ruby cried.

"I'm simply asking." She replied.

"Emin is safe within Beacon." Ozpin told her. "We can protect him, and fend off any Grimm that try to attack. Outside of that, we cannot assure the safety of anyone within his vicinity." He turned towards them. "And there is another more...serious matter."

"How serious?" Yang asked.

Ozpin walked over to his desk, and leaned on it. "I don't know how...but somehow, word about Emin being able to attract Grimm leaked out. And now, there are a lot of people, a lot of groups, such as the White Fang, who want to use him for that."

Blake looked at the ground in sorrow.

"They refer to him as The Catalyst." He continued. "Because each person, each group, that wants him, would be able to call upon a hoard of Grimm whenever they so desired. Obviously, that would tip the scales greatly to the advantage of their plans, whatever they may be."

"But that's wrong!" Ruby said. "Emin isn't some weapon! He's a person!"

Ozpin shook his head. "It wouldn't matter. I suspect they would do anything to him to make him call Grimm if they got their hands on him...torture...starvation...anything."

Blake bit her lip and squeezed her fist tightly at these revelations.

"That is why we must keep Emin within Beacon. For not only our safety, but his own." Ozpin said. "And make no mistake. Emin is as much a student of mine as the four of you, and as such, I will fight to protect him as well."

Ozpin then sat down again. "I will assume you did not know the severity of this issue, and that it was Emin who planned this. I shall have to discuss these matters with Team SEA on a more serious level." Blake's eyes widened. "If that is all, then-"

"It's my fault!" Blake interrupted him. "I was gone for a while, and Emin came out looking for me! It's my fault that he went outside and-"

"No! No! It's my fault!" Ruby interrupted. "I'm the one who wanted Emin to leave Beacon, even though he told me he couldn't! I'm the one who convinced him, so if anything, blame me!"

"You might as well blame all of us, then!" Yang declared. "We all wanted Emin to come with us, and we didn't understand how bad it was for him to do so!"

"It was wrong! Incredibly, stupidly wrong!" Weiss added. "But please, don't blame Emin!"

Ozpin looked at the four of them one by one, then leaned back in his chair with a small smile. "I'm glad..." The four of them looked at him in confusion. "I'm glad that Emin has found people who are willing to protect him like this...I knew everything from two days ago to today, so there's no need for you to try and change my mind."

Team RWBY looked down awkwardly as Ozpin smiled. "All I ask, is that you keep this secret from anybody else other then Team SEA. Is that alright?"

"Yes, sir!" All four of them nodded.

"Good. Your free to go." Ozpin gestured, and the four of them looked amongst themselves before walking out of the room. He then smiled warmly and took off his glasses. "I am truly glad..."

 _RWBY_

Darkness had descended across Beacon, as most lights were flicked off within the school.

In Team SEA's bedroom, Azure lay comfortably in bed, whilst Strawberry had fallen asleep at her desk after working on another new project to improve the quality of the locker rocket program. Emin gently drew a blanket over her, having gotten in his own pajamas already, then sat on his bed. He sat there for a moment, before reaching under his pillow and pulling out an old picture.

It depicted a warm sunny day in front of Beacon Academy, with younger looking versions of Azure Bolt, Strawberry Peach and Leo Gold all posing for a photo, with Azure giving a relaxed wink and peace sign whilst leaning on Leo, Strawberry waving and smiling happily, and Leo with his arms crossed, giving a cocky grin.

And standing in front of them was a young woman, looking around 18. She had fair, white skin with long, flowing, sparkling violet hair that had a little red sword-shaped hairpin in it, and warm light green eyes, with a mouth that sat comfortably in a small smile. She wore a bright yellow long sleeved dress that had black rings around the wrists, neck and hips, whilst over this she wore a short sleeved green shirt with a dark blue sun on the front and back. At her waist she wore a red sash that was tied up into a bow at the back, with some sky blue skinny jeans and black dance shoes that had little white butterflies on it. She was hugging a smiling little boy with messy purple hair, emerald green eyes, and an orange shirt with a blue heart with cartoony wings on it stamped on the front with black shorts.

Emin held the photo delicately, as if it would shatter like glass if he gripped it too tightly, and stared up at the ceiling as he held it to his chest.

Just then, there was the faintest of knocks on the door, and he looked over in confusion. Nonetheless, he got up and opened the door to find Team RWBY standing there.

"Hello. Are you all okay?" He asked.

"Emin, I-" Ruby began, before Yang tapped her on the shoulder. "WE, wanted to apologise. Professor Ozpin told us everything about you, and we didn't know that you would be in danger."

"Emin, you being The Catalyst...I was always told that..." Blake couldn't continue talking.

"None of you have to apologise." Emin told them. "To be honest...I had a lot of fun going out two days ago, I actually wanted to thank you for that. And I don't regret leaving to look for you, Blake. I'd do it again anytime."

"Just...let us know beforehand, okay?" Weiss requested.

"I promise." Emin nodded.

Yang looked down and saw the picture he was holding. "Hey, what's that?"

Emin only just realised he was still holding the precious photo. "Th-This!?" He blinked and looked at them nervously, then stared down at the photo. After a small internal debate, Emin showed it to them. "This is them team Azure and Strawberry were in whilst they were students."

"That's...Leo Gold? He was a student here?" Blake gasped in surprise.

"I see a little Emin!" Yang laughed. "You look so adorable!"

"...Emin...who's that?" Ruby asked, pointing at the girl hugging the younger boy.

Emin looked at her sadly. "That's...Viola. She was my big sister...she's...gone now..."

"Oh...I'm sorry." Ruby mumbled, with a sense of knowingness.

Emin stared down at the picture. "Together...they were Team SLVA, one of the greatest Beacon Academy teams ever..." He gently rubbed Viola's face. "They're my heroes...I wanted to become a Hunter just like Viola..."

"'Wanted'?" Yang echoed in confusion.

"I think that's changed now." Emin admitted. "But...I think that's for the better. I'll find my own way to become a Hunter." He smiled softly. "So thank you, for supporting me up until now."

Team RWBY smiled too. "Welp...guess that's that. See you in the morning!" Yang waved as they all began walking off, with Ruby looking back at Emin and Viola in the picture one last time before following them.

Emin closed the door, leaned against it, and looked at the picture, specifically his big sister. He smiled, held it against his chest, and remembered.

 _"Hey! Hey! Viola!"_

 _"Hm? What is it, Emin?"_

 _"Can you tell me that story again? Your favourite one?"_

 _"Really? You've already heard it five times."_

 _"Pleeeeeeeease?"_

 _"Okay, okay..."_

 _"Yay!"_

 _"Here we are...The Four Maidens."_

 _"And it's a true story, right, Viola?"_

 _"Haha, yes, Emin. It's a true story."_

 **Volume 1: FIN**

 **Battles and Events: Phillip 'Eminence' Phlox **

**Events: Beacon Academy Initiation, Vale Port Heist**

 **Battles:**

 **Emin vs. Beowolves and Boarbatusk (Purple Trailer) Won**

 **Emin vs. Beowolves (Special Initiation Part 1) Won**

 **Emin vs. Creeps (Special Initiation Part 2) Won**

 **Emin vs. Hell Scythe (Special Initiation Part 2) Won**

 **Team SEA vs. Necro Geckoes (Guardian Hunters Part 2) Won**

 **Emin vs. Leo (Friends and Family) Won**

 **Azure 'Ray' Bolt**

 **Events: Vale Port Heist**

 **Battles:**

 **Azure vs. Cardin (Guardian Hunters Part 1) Won**

 **Team SEA vs. Necro Geckoes (Guardian Hunters Part 2) Won**

 **Azure vs. Leo (Protect and Save) Lost**

 **Strawberry Peach**

 **Events: Vale Port Heist**

 **Battles:**

 **Strawberry vs. Team CRDL (Guardian Hunters Part 2) Won**

 **Team SEA vs. Necro Geckoes (Guardian Hunters Part 2) Won**

 **Strawberry vs. White Fang Members (Protect and Save) Won**

 **The finale of Volume 1 of RWBY:Shadows has arrived! And I hope this first Volume ending was pleasing enough for you guys!**

 **After watching the Volume 3 Finale, I HAD to write this chapter, so I'm sorry if it seems a little rushed. Hopefully though, it has excited you for Volume 2 of this story!**

 **On a serious note, I want to give a massive thanks to NewComer1, for without his constant support, this story would probably have stopped at Chapter 5. I'd also like to thank The Fresh Prince of BANANAS for her amazing fanart, with her OC team appearing this next Volume, and for those of you who have given me advice on how to improve this story, or shown a genuine interest in it. Thank you all so much!**

 **Again, I hope you enjoyed this Volume 1 Finale, and I shall see you in Volume 2!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The BEST Day Ever!

 **Volume 2: Pain**

Roman Torchwick stormed down the dim metal hallway, muttering to himself angrily. "I swear when I get my hands on that corny little bas-" He stopped himself as he reached a set of double doors, and threw them open. "Rust!"

The room was practically empty, were it not for all the robot parts and weaponry pieces discarded randomly around. It looked like a large empty garage, but the walls were covered in complicated plans and designs. A singly spotlight illuminated the whole room, and fell on a metal workbench, where a man was working on a gun.

The man sat on a spinny black chair, the kind you would find in an office building. His back was turned to Roman, but it could be seen that his hair was a dark brown, and spiked upwards on top of his head whilst hanging down neatly at the sides and back. He wore a handwoven, no sleeve brown waistcoat with the collar folded neatly, which he wore over a long sleeved silk shirt, with the wrists folded back into cuffs and pinned back by a little silver spanner shaped pin each. He wore skinny black jeans and a pair of brown leather pointed toe shoes with black laces.

"It's polite to knock, you know." The man said, not looking away from his work. "And that's Weber Rust, thank you."

Roman marched over to him. "Quit screwing around! Those guns you gave us didn't change a thing! This is how the deal works, Rust: I get the goods, and you do all your little tinkering to turn them into bigger, badder, better weaponry! And the stuff your giving us, is garbage!"

Weber Rust stopped working for a moment, and spun around on his seat, resting his arms on the back of his chair. Turning around revealed that his hair curved up neatly around his forehead, and he wore thick, square and black rimmed glasses shielding his orange eyes. His waistcoat was buttoned up by old fashioned little black buttons.

"OR. Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, and hear me out on this." Weber told him. "...Your all stupid."

As soon as the words left his lips Roman aimed Melodic Cudgel at his head. "I'm sorry, are you trying to make a fool out of me? Because let's get something straight, Rust. I can shoot you in the face and get off scot free. The White Fang will turn a blind eye to your injuries."

Weber kept his relaxed position, unaffected by being threatened at gunpoint. "Listen. I gave you and your little goon squad, high calibre, rapid fire, explosively charged guns, ten times better then the boffins at Atlas could cook up. Weaponry is my thing, you see? But, even the best weaponry doesn't do jack if the people who use them are talentless morons! So, I have a proposition for YOU, Roman. Get some better soldiers, who can actually USE what I give them properly, and not wave them around like a bunch of idiot toddlers playing with toys. Okay? Great." He then turned around and returned to his work.

"You, little...GAH!" Roman banged his weapon against the ground furiously. "Fine, fine! You wanna play ball? I'll play ball, Rust. You want better soldiers? I'll get the best! And when your tools still prove to be useless, I'll come and blow your head off! How's that sound?"

"Fantastic, glad we had this talk." Weber waved him off. "Goodbye now."

Roman growled before turning on his heel and angrily storming off.

"Bunch of idiots..." Weber mumbled to himself, before a black Scroll next to him began to beep. He picked it up and looked at it. "Cinder?...Pfft, a virus? That's childs play." He spun his chair over towards a computer and opened it up. "This oughta be fun." He then began programming, looking at his Scroll as he did, when another message popped up.

When he saw the message, he gave an overexaggerated groan. "Well, there goes that workshop. I'm sure those intruders will like it, though." He then continued working.

 _RWBY_

Emin spun his arms around as a warm-up, surveying the Team SEA bedroom. He had pushed all the beds to the sides to make sure he had enough room to practice. Azure and Strawberry were away on a mission today, and he felt like it was a good time to try and perfect what he had been working on.

"Okay...here we go." He told himself. "A one, and a two, and a one, two, three, four!"

He jumped forward, and disappeared in a flash of violet and sky blue light, before instantly reappearing in the same flash on the other side of the room.

"Ah!" He clambered to his feet and gauged how far he had moved. "I...I did it! I didn't have to use a portal! Yes! That felt really weird though...but in a good way! I have to tell Strawberry and Azure when they get back!" He then jogged out of his room towards the dining hall.

 _RWBY_

In an average old warehouse in your typical line of warehouses, a Faunus lay face down as his Scroll depicted the text 'Sent to Rust'.

"Well, that was easy." Azure stated, poking one of the White Fang members in the back with his sceptre. "Right, nap time." He then laid down on the floor with his hands behind his head.

"Put a stop on that sleep clock, Azure." Strawberry told him, looking around the room. It was filled with White Fang banners and various blueprints. "We've gotta find out why the White Fang were sticking around here."

"Oh, c'mon! There's only ten of them, it can't have been that big." Azure sighed.

Strawberry walked over to a desk cluttered with tools and plans, quickly sorting through them. "That's because they were a delivery team, trying to move all of this evidence."

"Evidence of what, exactly?" Azure asked.

"That's what I'm finding out." Strawberry sighed, studying the plans with an analytical gaze, before reaching a certain file, which she picked up and studied intently, her eyes slowly widening. "Wait...is this...?"

"What is it?" Azure feigned interest.

Strawberry hurriedly stood up and dragged Azure across the ground, carrying a stack of files and papers with her. "We need to get back to Beacon and show this to Ozpin."

"Alright, alright." Azure sighed, still letting himself be dragged.

 _RWBY_

The dining hall was clamoring as usual. Emin sat next to Velvet, near Team RWBY.

"You seem bright today, Emin." The Faunus noticed happily.

"Thanks, Velvet." Emin smiled lightly. "I guess I am good today."

"Really? Any reason?" She asked with excitement.

"I...just perfected my Semblance." He told her. "I don't have to create portals anymore, I can teleport freely."

"That's great!" Velvet cheered. "Just in time, too. Classes start back up tomorrow."

Oh yeah...all of that had happened in one semester. Wow, Emin had no idea his first few weeks were gonna be THAT bad.

The two of them were then distracted by apples flying through the air, tossed between Yang and Nora. They both took an interest in the little thing until Nora chucked a pie straight into Weiss' face.

"Well, that won't end well." Velvet said.

"No, it won't." Emin added.

Weiss glared over at Team JNPR as Nora looked quite pleased with herself. Slowly, Weiss grabbed a pie near her and chucked it. Nora leaned her head to avoid it, but that didn't stop it hitting Pyrrha in the face.

"...Welp, that settles it." Yang nodded. "It's WAR!"

"Waaaaaaaar!" Nora cried as she flipped the table.

"N-Nora!?" Jaune gasped as the redhead began flipping over more tables and pushing them towards a pile, making other students get up and run.

Emin and Velvet looked at each other before tipping their table over as well to use as a barricade as a storm of students ran past them.

"Food fight!" One of them yelled before only a few people were remaining in the cafeteria. The leader and photographer peeked out over the table to see a tower of tables stacked on top one another, with Nora standing at the very top.

"Ahahahaha!" She laughed, before singing: "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!"

Ruby replied by stomping on the table and pointing at the opposing team. "Justic will be swift! Justice will be painful!" She crushed a carton of milk in her hand for dramatic effect. "It will be DELICIOUS!"

"Yeah!" The whole team agreed with raised fists.

"Hold on!" Emin shouted out, climbing on top of the table.

"E-Emin!?" Velvet cried.

"I shall be the one to claim victory this day!" He declared in the manliest voice possible. "In the name of Team SEA!...Plus Velvet!"

"No way we're gonna lose!" Ruby argued.

"Off with their heads!" Nora decreed, jumping down from her tower, whilst her teammates grabbed a large number of watermelons and began tossing them towards their opponents.

"Incoming fire!" Emin cried before taking shelter behind the desk, and beginning to gather a group of foods together, and fishing some string out of his pocket.

"Yang! Turkey!" Ruby called, prompting her sister to stick her fists into two turkeys and use them like boxing gloves, punching through the barrage of watermelons, allowing Blake to pick up two baguettes as weapons. Yang tossed her turkeys at Pyrrha, who dodged them (leaving Jaune to get hit instead) and grabbing a baguette herself.

As Blake and Pyrrha dueled, Emin stood up triumphantly. "Success!" He proudly held aloft four carrots tied together into the shape of a shuriken. "Behold! Carrot Star! Strawberry would be proud. Velvet! Cover me!" He then leapt over the table and charged into battle.

"O-Okay!?" She cried in exasperation before gathering some tomatoes and tossing them over from behind the table.

As Pyrrha and Emin clashed with baguette and carrot, Ruby suddenly launched towards them, riding on a food tray. Emin jumped back as Pyyrha launched a baguette at her, which she knocked back with the same tray, before knocking the redhead back with it.

Ruby and Emin then stood together as Lie Ren snd Nora ran at them, only for the latter to slip up thanks to some ketchup spilt by Weiss, making him crash into a group of tables. Nora, however, grabbed a metal pole and stuck a watermelon on the end of it, reminiscent of her hammer. As she swung towards Weiss, Ruby leapt in and took the hit, being floored from the force. Emin was suddenly aware of a presence behind him, and realised Blake was charging at him with another baguette. He readied himself, only to see her get hit in the face with an orange and make her fall on her side.

"Yes! Bullseye!" Velvet cheered.

Meanwhile, Weiss grabbed a swordfish and clashed with Nora, but she was overpowered and thrown against a pillar with enough force to make it break. Before the crumbling pieces could crush her, Ruby rescued her with her speed, and held her dramatically.

"Weiss! Weiss! Don't leave me! Nooooooo!" She cried to the heavens with the skills of a B-Star actor.

Whilst Yang and Ren dueled with turkeys and leeks, Emin jumped behind the cover next to Velvet again. "This is getting serious, time to break out the grenades!" He grabbed a a group of ripe plums and rose up. "Take this!" He chucked them into the field of battle, hitting Ruby in the face and a just recovered Jaune, knocking him back down again.

"Well done, Emi-" Velvet was interrupted as a pumpkin hit her in the face, making her fall to the ground.

"Velvet!" Emin gasped. "Speak to me!"

"G...Go on without me..." She pleaded weakly, before pretending to pass out.

"Whyyyyyyyyyy!?" He cried in anguish, before teleporting straight into the middle of the battlefield. "I will avenge Velvet!"

As Yang knocked out Ren, Nora launched the blonde all the way into the ceiling, destroying her watermelon hammer in the process. Emin then clashed with the defenseless Nora using Carrot Star, teleporting behind her and hitting her in the back.

Blake then approached them wielding a line of sausages, and Emin teleported away as she whipped them into Nora, sending her flying back into two soda machines.

'Our food is incredibly durable.' Emin had time to think, before he rushed and collided food weapons with Blake.

The two of them were quickly distracted from each other as Nora began launching soda cans towards them. Whilst Blake bent, ducked and weaved to dodge, Emin just teleported repeatedly inbetween them, neither of them getting hit.

Suddenly, the soda cans rose up and began spinning around, thanks to Pyrrha using her Semblance of Polarity. The cans then pointed at Blake and Emin and fell towards them.

"...Nice knowing you." Emin stated, before teleporting away at the last second. Blake wasn't as fortunate.

Now only Ruby stood as the last member of her team. She began rushing through the food court using her Semblance of speed to create a tornado of food from the tailwind, forcing Emin to desperately clutch onto a a pillar to prevent himself from being sucked into it too. The hurricane of food then smashed into the wall, leaving Team JNPR splatted against it like a messy canvas, falling away to reveal a perfect outlines of them in the food.

"Welp, Ruby, looks like its just you and me." Emin said, holding Carrot Star out.

"Looks like it." Ruby agreed, as the two of them faced off against each other.

"I love these guys." Sun Wukong stated from the doorway, as a blue haired guy drenched in soda stood beside him, looking very unamused.

The doors suddenly burst open and everybody froze as Glynda Goodwitch walked into the room, growling, quickly using her telekinesis to re-organize the room. "Children, please." She adjusted her glasses. "Do not play with your food!"

Nora burped loudly as everybody tried and failed to compose themselves. Emin looked down in shame as a screaming Yang fell from the ceiling onto one of the tables.

She then walked over to Emin, who shivered with fear. "Mr. Phlox, I really expected better of you."

"I...I..." Emin stammered in her presence, looking for the right words to say.

Until, a tomato, which had been stuck to the ceiling, fell, and landed splat bang on Glynda's head.

There was a pause...until...

"...Pff..." Emin scrunched his face up as it turned red, and he held his hands to his mouth. "Pffffffhahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He burst out laughing.

"WHAT, is so funny?" Glynda muttered.

"Hahahahaha! YOU! Hahahahahahahahaha! Aaaaahahahahahahaha!" He laughed and laughed so much tears were pouring from his eyes, as everybody else began to laugh too.

As Glynda went to say something, Ozpin appeared and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let it go."

Glynda sighed as she wiped the tomato off of her head. "They're supposed to be the defenders of the world."

"And they will be, but right now they're still children." He looked over as Emin, Velvet, and Team RWBY all laughed together. "So why not let them play the part?" He then began to walk away. "After all, it isn't a role they'll get to have forever."

"Sheesh, now I have to go and get cleaned up." Weiss sighed.

"Not me." Emin chuckled. "I didn't get hit once!"

"That's because you were teleporting!" Blake emphasised.

"Fair point." Emin smirked. "I guess I'd better get my mop and clean this mess up. Thanks, everybody!" He then set off on a happy little walk.

"Hey, um..." Team RWBY turned towards Velvet. "Thank you. Thank you so much!" She smiled.

"Huh? For what?" Yang asked.

"Well, it's just..." The Faunus looked at Emin with a smile. "I've never seen Emin this happy, ever, and...I've never heard him laugh before. He must have really enjoyed it, so, thank you from me, for making him smile so much." She then turned and walked off happily, leaving Team RWBY to look amongst themselves with smiles.

 _RWBY_

"Professor Ozpin!" Strawberry called after the headmaster as she and Azure caught up to him.

"Azure, Strawberry, your back." He said. "What is your report."

"Urgent." Strawberry emphasised. "Look at these."

She handed him a group of blueprints, which seemed similar to that of an AK-200, except much more advanced and deadly, with a lot more weaponry.

"How did White Fang get ahold of information like this?" Ozpin thought aloud.

"I don't know." Strawberry admitted. "But it goes under a name: Project DARK. I think it's pretty big."

Ozpin nodded. "The other kingdoms will be arriving at Beacon in just a few days, I'll inform Ironwood and everybody else then. Thank you, Strawberry."

"Of course." She nodded as Ozpin walked away.

"Are you worried?" Azure asked.

"A little..." Strawberry huffed. "Project DARK...it is greater technology then even Atlas can produce...if it was created successfully...we would all be in trouble."

And Weber Rust laughed to himself as he surveyed his plans.

 **Volume 2 start! Yeeeeaaaaah!**

 **So, yes, this Volume is titled Pain, for a very specific reason. It isn't prominent during this first half, but will become more evident near the end.**

 **Yes, this stories gonna get dark. You mighht notice one of this stories categories has been changed to Hurt/Comfort. Don't ignore that. Reader discretion is advised.**

 **Anyway, to start of this new Volume, I've written a new song! It's Leo Gold's theme song! Dalastjedi, I have taken your advice and followed this song to a similar one so you can get a better feel for it. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Leo's Theme Song: 'Glory is my Gold'**

 **Lyrics by OPFan37**

 **Cover Picture: A black silhouette of Leo with the red claws of Brilliant Justice extended out, with the White Fang Emblem in the background behind him, above a crowd of shadows with animal ears.**

 **Composition: A faster, metallic version of 'I Fooled You' by Awaken The Giant**

* * *

 **Ohhhhhhhhhh...**

 **GLORY IS MY GOLD!**

* * *

 **We were hunted down, broken from our packs**

 **Hot tongues lashing, against our backs**

 **Struggling onward but, true force we lack**

 **Desperately defending, from their attack**

 **We tried to talk, they ignored our plea**

 **We tried to be kind, they remained mean**

 **There's one last option, we can see**

 **In order for us, to be set free**

* * *

 **This is what I choose to be...**

 **For them, I bleed!**

* * *

 **My blood is running cold!**

 **I stand up brave and bold!**

 **No matter what you say I will, not, be, told**

 **That I can be bought or sold**

 **I will not bend or fold**

 **I will rise and shout out:**

 **GLORY IS MY GOLD!**

* * *

 **You cannot see, you cannot feel**

 **The scars and wounds, we have to heal**

 **I face your kind, with sharpened steel**

 **My body is broke, but my resolve is real**

 **I hear the screams, I hear them cry**

 **I feel a tear fall, from my eye**

 **I want to be a hero, not a dirty lie**

 **For their futures, I will die**

* * *

 **This is what I have to be...**

 **For us, I bleed!**

* * *

 **My blood is running cold!**

 **I stand up brave and bold!**

 **No matter what you say I will, not, be, told**

 **That I can be bought or sold**

 **I will not bend or fold**

 **I will rise and shout out:**

 **GLORY IS MY GOLD!**

* * *

 **Ohhhh...**

 **My blood is running cold!**

 **I stand up brave and bold!**

 **I will not bend or fold!**

 **I will rise and shout out:**

 **GLORY IS MY GOLD!**

* * *

 **My blood is running cold!**

 **I stand up brave and bold!**

 **No matter what you say I will, not, be, told**

 **That I can be bought or sold**

 **I will not bend or fold**

 **I will rise and shout out:**

 **GLORY IS MY GOLD!**

* * *

 ** ** **My blood is running cold!******

 ** ** **I stand up brave and bold!******

 ** ** **No matter what you say I will, not, be, told******

 ** ** **That I can be bought or sold******

 ** ** **I will not bend or fold******

 ** ** **I will rise and shout out:******

 ** ** **GLORY IS MY GOLD!******

* * *

 ** ** **There we go. Again, I hope that was bearable.******

 ** ** **Okay! Next chapter, we meet a whole bunch of new faces! Thank you for reading! Reviews are always appreciated, and I'll see you next chapter!******


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Greetings from Beacon! 

It was another normal day at Beacon...which had actually been quite rare recently. Of course, it WAS normal as long as you didn't count the battleships hovering outside the window from Atlas arriving for the Vytle Festival.

Currently, a heated conflict was going on in the library. Team RWBY sat around a table, holding several cards in their hands each. Well, almost all of the Team. Emin was sitting where Blake had been previously, having been 'substituted' in so that she could read instead.

A board sat in front of them, which was titled 'World of Remnant' in the top corner, as several little pieces were dotted across it to represent the armies that each of them commanded. Ruby controlled Atlas, Yang controlled Mistral, Weiss controlled Vacuo, and Emin controlled Vale.

Emin was waiting for his turn, admittedly very excited. He had only ever played WOR with himself, Velvet, Azure and Strawberry, and those three weren't very good, so he was anticipating having a real challenge. Speaking of them, he looked over his shoulder to ee his guardians wave at him from a nearby table. Strawberry was smiling so happily as if Emin was getting married instead of having a game with his friends.

He tried to plan ahead whilst everybody else was taking their turns, but it was difficult seeing as how Ruby and Yang were so...heated, about the game, which Emin actually rather enjoyed. He watched as some pieces were sent flying, mostly over towards Team JNPR's table, where Nora was sleeping, Jaune was getting hit with pieces, and Pyrrha was...reading a comic? Huh...

"Alright, Emin! Your up!" Yang finally announced only after Weiss had broken down in tears.

"Finally! Thanks!" He said as he grabbed a card.

"Hey! Can I play?" Emin put on a deliberate grumpy face as Jaune interrupted his go. At least playing on his own he didn't have to wait so frikkin' long!

"Sorry Jaune, we've already got 4 people." Ruby pointed out.

"Besides, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt that you possess." Weiss told him.

"Uhh, you attacked your own naval fleet 2 turns ago." Yang pointed out, making Weiss grumble.

"Bring it on, Ice Queen! I'll have you know that I have been told that I am a natural born leader!" Jaune declared.

"By who? Your mother?" Weiss joked.

"A-and Pyrrha!" He hurriedly replied.

Pyrrha waved from her table. "Hello again!"

Jaune fell to his knees and began begging with clasped hands. "Come on, let me play your hand for a turn!"

"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!" Weiss refused.

"Why not? You've trusted me with way more important stuff before. I mean, you told us all that Blake is secretly a Fa-" Pyrrha clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Fun-loving person, whom we all admire and respect." Pyrrha 'finished', making Jaune laugh nervously. All heads turned to an annoyed looking Blake, who couldn't be blamed now that her secret was out.

"Right. That. Ladies, enjoy your battle." He then bowed before hurrying off.

"Okay." Emin huffed. "Now then, my tur-"

"'Sup losers." Emin graced Sun's arrival with a sour look.

"Hey Sun!" Ruby greeted him in a more friendly way, as the same blue-haired figure from the food fight stood next to him.

"Ruby, Yang, Blake, Emin,... Ice Queen." He said.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss sighed.

"I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend." Sun said, motioning to the guy beside him.

"Uhh, aren't libraries for reading?" Blue asked.

"Thank you!" Ren cried in exasperation, ironically being rather loud.

"Pancakes!" Nora gasped, jerking up from her slumber.

"Shut up. Don't be a nerd." Sun stated.

Blue shook a finger at him. "Geh, geh, geh, geh! INTELLECTUAL, okay? Thank you." He waved. "I'm Neptune."

"So Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss asked.

 **"** Haven." He then strolled up to Ice Queen. "And I don't believe I've caught your name, snow angel."

"Um, I'm Weiss." She replied slightly awkwardly.

"Are you kidding me!?" Jaune gaped.

"Pleasure to meet you." Neptune nodded.

Sun turned to Blake. "I never took you as the board game playing type."

Blake as a response stood up and shoved him out of the way. "Actually, Emin is playing for me, but I think I'm done reading for now. I'll see you guys later." She then hurried off.

Nora shrugged. "Women."

"Ahem." Emin coughed. "Can I have my turn now?"

"Oh, sure." Yang told him.

"Thank you." He sighed. "I activate Charging Beowolves to weaken Mistral's frontal defences, then Armament to boost my soldiers power, then I activate Silence of the Thieving Sands to recover those two cards and activate them both a second time, then I activate Recruit and Reinforce to double my armies until the end of the turn, I attack Minstral with the majority of my army, and with the soldiers left over I attack the weakened Astral, destroying both forces. Ruby, Yang, you both lose." He then sat back in his chair with his arms folded.

There was a long moment of silence, until Yang sprang to her feet. "WHAT!?"

"Noooooo! My forces!" Ruby weeped for her soldiers.

"How did you do that!? All you've been doing is defending for two turns!" Yang raged.

"Hand advantage." Emin said, holding up his cards. "Plus, you two kinda took each other out, I just took advantage of that."

"Aggggghhhh!" Yang cried in anguish.

Sun whistled. "Woah, Emin got game."

"It's just you and me, Weiss." Emin said, as his eyes somehow glowed red as a menacing aura floated around him. "Your turn."

"Can I forfeit?" Weiss murmured.

"Hey, if you want, I can take over." Neptune offered.

"Yes, you do that." Weiss hurriedly agreed handing her cards and forces to the blue haired teammate, who sat across from Emin.

"Alright then...let's do this." Neptune smirked.

"Let's." Emin stated as lightning crackled between their gazes.

"This is intense!" Ruby said.

"Stupid..." Yang mumbled in a huff as she kicked a chair.

"Emin's always been good at this game. Guess he's happy he's found someone...adequate, to fight against." Azure chuckled nervously.

"Go, Emin! Your the greatest!" Strawberry cheered.

"My turn." Neptune said. "First, I'll activate Necro Infestation to have Necro Geckoe's attack your armies."

"That won't work whilst I have double Armament." Emin told him.

"Your right...but not if I activate Sudden Storm to make all your equipment waterlogged!" Neptune cried, holding up the card.

"Crud!" Emin gasped.

"Now I think I'll attack your frontline forces, and I'll also use Forced Bargaining to take your forces and add them to my own." He scooped up some of Emin's pieces and added them to his army.

"I didn't expect you to make a move like that." Emin admitted. "I retreat my remaining forces!"

"You sure you wanna do that?" Neptune grinned. "When I activate Gryffon Wave!"

"An aerial attack so late in the game!?" Emin gasped. "Oh, wait...Weiss was playing."

"Hey!" Weiss cried, insulted.

"Your trapped in your own kingdom now, how you gonna get out of this?" Neptune challenged.

'He's good...but I still have a trick up my sleeve!' Emin thought. "My turn! Since my army is in my kingdom, I'll increase my army size...then launch an all out attack!"

"Don't do it, Emin! It's suicide!" Ruby gasped.

"Our armies are equal now! I'll end this in a draw!" Emin declared.

"Not gonna happen. I activate my trap, Death Stalker Surprise! And with it I'll wipe out your army since your attacking full force!" Neptune said.

"I activate my own trap, Divide and Conquer! I'll halve my army and make half retreat whilst the other will slip around the Death Stalker!" Emin moved the pieces accordingly.

"Half your army against mine? You've got no chance!" Neptune said.

"Don't count me out! I'll activate Spies of the Ashes to add an already used card to my hand! I'll add the Atlas Air Force card that Ruby used two turns ago!"

"Huh!?" Neptune gasped overdramatically.

"Oh! That card! Yes! Do it, Emin!" Ruby said.

"I...have literally no idea what's happening right now." Jaune admitted.

"Using Atlas Air Force, I'll have my retreated forces take to the skies and bombard you!" Emin said.

"E-Even so! My armies have a home field advantage! You still can't beat them!" Neptune said.

"Your right, I can't...unless I had one more card to play!" He held his last card up skyward, as a spotlight out of nowhere shined down on him. "I activate Vicious Sandstorm to obscure your armies visions and attack them in the confusion!" He pointed forward dramatically. "I have wiped out the forces of Vacuo, and Vale has become the ruler of Remnant!"

"No way!" Ruby and Neptune gasped.

"Heh, not a doubt in my mind." Azure chuckled.

"Yaaaaaay! Emin!" Strawberry giggled.

"I can't believe I lost..." Neptune sighed.

"You were a worthy opponent, thank you for playing with me." Emin told him.

"In that aspect, same to you." Neptune nodded as they shook hands.

"Sooooo...did you win?" Nora asked.

"That was pretty good, I guess." Everybody turned as someone ran over to them. This boy looked about 18, and had yellow-green eyes with short, brown-red hair, on top of which rested a pair of yellow lens goggles. Instead of the traditional Beacon Academy uniform, he wore a black unbuttoned suit with gold triangle buttons over a dark brown plain shirt, as a brown bracer was strapped across his body, up to his right shoulder. He also wore brown gloves, faded light blue jeans, and black boots with brown lines on the sides that came up to his knees.

"Pretty good!? It was awesome!" Ruby argued.

"Are you insulting Emin!?" Strawberry raged as Azure held her back.

"Relax, relax." He chuckled, waving it off. "It was just how I saw it, my opinion. I just hope you can use those skills in actual combat. I'm Titian Nix, a student from Vacuo."

"Nice to meet you." Emin nodded.

"Likewise, WOR winner." Titian nodded. "Just thought I'd get a scope of the competition, see how difficult it was going to be. Looks like you all seem pretty tough."

"Yeah, you wanna test that, I'm not in the best mood right now." Yang threatened.

Titian held his hands up, but still had a cocky smile on his face. "Woah, I'm not here to fight...yet, obviously. Can't a guy give his opinion anymore?"

"There you are!" Titian froze at the new voice as another boy walked up to him. He was obviously a Faunus as evidenced by the two antlers poking up out of his neat dark brown hair, just above his grey eyes. He wore a no sleeve jacket that had orange arrowheads making up the lower half and chest of the piece of clothing, whilst the shoulders, neck, and presumably back were green. He wore black wristbands and grey trousers leading down to some tall black boots. Around his neck he also wore a yellow satchel, that hung behind his neck like a hood.

"I've been worried sick about you!" The Faunus cried. "I haven't even found the others yet!"

"I just went for a walk." Titian shrugged.

"You practically ran off!" He sighed. "What am I gonna do...?"

Titian turned to us. "This is Bruno Deer. He's the, overprotective mother of the team."

"Oh, please don't call me that." Bruno huffed. "Sorry, sorry for not introducing myself. Me and Titian here are members of Team MDNT, participants in the tournament. We literally just got here and all of them have run off."

"What's the big deal? We're just looking around." Titian shrugged, making Bruno facepalm.

"Come on, we've got to find the other two." Bruno told him, shoving him towards the doors. "Sorry this has been so brief, but we are very busy! Hopefully we can talk team to team next time we meet though!"

"Peace." Titian waved as they disappeared out the door.

"...Well that happened." Nora stated.

 _RWBY_

Team SEA walked down the corridor together in a pleasant mood. "I'm really glad your making a lot of new friends, Emin." Strawberry smiled. "You look like your having a lot of fun with them."

"Thanks, Strawberry. I really am." Emin nodded, making Azure and Strawberry smile warmly at each other.

"Ah, Mr. Phlox." The Team stopeed as a figure walked towards them. "Or should I collectively call you Team SEA now?"

"G-General Ironwood?" Emin stammered.

"Mr. Ironwood?" Strawberry mumbled nervously.

"Miss Strawberry, a pleasure as always." He bowed to her.

Azure stood in front of his teammates protectively. "What are you doing here, Ironwood? We already told you, we're not accpeting any of your offers."

Ironwood held up his hand peacefully. "You have the wrong idea, Mr. Bolt."

"Ray." Azure sternly reminded him.

"Mr. Ray. I'm simply here for the Vytle Festival, and thought it would be a good chance to catch up with Ozpin. I trust you are all doing well, though?"

"Yes, sir." Emin nodded timidly.

"Very well, thank you, Mr. Ironwood." Strawberry nodded.

"I'm glad to hear it." Ironwood smiled, before turning to Azure with a stern look. "I feel as if I must inform you that Colress has indeed accompanied me, so I have advised him to-"

"Relax." Azure muttered waving it off. "I won't be anywhere near him. Think I'll sleep in the meantime."

"I see." Ironwood agreed. "Very well then, I shall have to take my leave now, I am very busy. It was nice meeting you all again, though." And with that he walked off.

"Ah, geez...I need a nap." Azure grumbled.

"yes, yes, I know how you feel about this." Strawberry sighed, seizing his wrist. "Emin, I'm gonna take Mr. Lazy here back to the room, you gonna do anything?"

Emin thought for a second. "Is it alright if I walk around the Academy for a bit? See if I can meet anyone else?"

"Of course! We'll see you later then." Strawberry said as she dragged the half-asleep Azure along with her.

Emin nodded, before staring out the window and teleporting to the other corridor, heading off to see if he could see any other newcomers. However, the corridor was empty.

"Maybe they're all in the dorm rooms?" Emin thought aloud, turning around, only to bump into someone. "O-Oh! I'm sorry!"

"It's quite alright." Emin took a step back to see he was staring at a woman.

She had pale white skin and soft blue eyes, accompanied by a small, kind smile. Her hair was jet black, long and flowing, reaching the small of her back, whilst streaks of silver hair highlighted the ends and zigzagged through the middle of it, whilst a silver strand parted at her forehead. She wore a silver dress covering her slender figure that extended down to her thighs, sparkling like little diamonds, whilst a black sash was tied around her waist with a bow at the side, with black star patterns dotted across the dress, and silver bangles on both of her wrists, and black high heels. The most noticeable thing about her outfit though was a black crest on the chest, It looked like a cross between a blooming flower and the sun, with the petals all curving out slightly, whilst the centre of it looked like a drop of water with vines circling around it, all of it accentuated with silver.

"Are you alright, though?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Emin said.

"That's good." Her smile was warm, and she seemed to give off a comforting aura. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Clair Noir, I'm a government representative from Vacuo."

"From the Vacuo government?" Emin echoed.

"Well, admittedly, I came of my own accord." She giggled nervously. "I just wanted to see how our students did this year. I'll probably be in a bit of trouble when I get back...oh! Sorry! I never asked your name!"

"I'm Emin. Emin Phlox." He said, offering a hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Emin." Clair replied, shaking his hand. "...Hm?" She kept a soft grip on his hand, refusing to give it back to him as she stared at him intensively.

"...Um...is something wrong?" Emin asked.

"Your eyes..." She whispered, looking at him eye to eye.

"My eyes?" Emin was completely lost now.

"Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." She said, before she thought for a moment. "...Emin, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"I don't mind, er, depending on what it is." Emin told her.

"...Do you believe that life is filled with excitement?"

"Life is filled with excitement?" Emin thought about that for a moment, and about everything that had happened to him recently, allowing himself a smile. "Yeah, I guess I do believe that."

Clair smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. Anyway, I think I've taken up too much of your time, but it was lovely to talk to you. I'll see you later, yes?"

"Sure, see you later." Emin waved as they walked different ways. 'She seems really nice, I hope I can see her again!'

Meanwhile, Clair looked back at Emin with a sad look. 'His eyes...they're hiding so much pain...so much misery...'

 **Character Info (Both created by neonewray on Tumblr)**

 **Titian Nix: Weapon - Bloody Rose (Pistol and Knife/Dagger.) Based off of Black Shuck and a Phoenix.**

 **Bruno Deer: Weapon - Terra Aries (Pistol and Sword Combination) Based off of 'Brother and Sister' written by Brothers Grimm.**

 **Okay! New chapter! Sorry this took so long, everybody! Admittedly, I haven't had much confidence to write this story at the minute, but my love for it is more then enough to keep it going!**

 **This chapter, we're introduced to two of neonewray's submitted characters, Titian and Bruno, whilst also meeting Clair Noir. Remember her, folks, she's important.**

 **Again, I apologise this chapter took so long, but I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading, and I'll see you next chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: MDNT Scars

A soft humming filled the air around Beacon Academy on a fine, warm afternoon. Well, not particularly AROUND it, more next to it, specifically the window to the second floors west corridor.

Emin was humming the tune to himself as he sprayed the windows before wiping them with a clean green cloth. The sleeves of his uniform were rolled up for the work, showing the bandages he always wore wrapped tightly around his arms. He didn't need a ladder or anything to reach Beacon's outside windows, who needed one when you could teleport? In fact, that's why he was the best janitor!

However, as he sprayed a window, he wiped off the fluid only to have a familiar, angry face looking at him from the other side. "Ah! Strawberry!"

"Phillip Eminence Phlox, just what do you think your doing?" She asked sternly.

"Cleaning windows, and please don't use my full name." Emin pleaded.

"How many times have I told you that you could fall and die doing something like that!?" She told him. "And your WORKING!"

"I'm fine, and it's my job." Emin pointed out.

"Oh no you don't!" She pushed open the window and dragged the teen inside. "I, young man, have a surprise for you, and I'm not going to let you clean windows in the meantime!"

Emin internally sighed, there really was no arguing with her when she was like this. "Okay, what surprise?" He suddenly found himself blind as Strawberry covered his eyes.

"Let me lead you, and no peeking." She told him as she gently set him on a walking path.

He sighed as he walked, she always did stuff like this, when he turned 10 she springed a surprise party on him, but there is literally no warning or foreshadowing when she did these things.

"Aaaaaand...ta-da!" She uncovered his eyes to let him see a sight he was not expecting.

It was the dining hall, at least the location was, but the tables had all been laid out, there were drinks on the sides, and people were walking around chatting to one another.

"Um...Strawberry, what is this?" Emin asked.

"Well, since a lot of contestants have turned up for the Vytal Festival, I figured we could get to know some of them a little better, so I organised this little get together inviting all the visitors, courtesy of Ozpin!" She beamed.

"Okay..." Emin acknowledged it, though not really seeing the point.

"Now, I want you to introduce yourself to some new friends, got it? Have fun!" She told him before pushing him forward.

Emin looked around awkwardly at the unfamiliar faces. He spotted Azure standing in the corner with his arms folded...and his eyes closed...snoring...yep, he was asleep.

"Hey, Emin!" He felt relieved when Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang walked over to him.

"Thank god you guys are here at least." Emin sighed.

"Strawberry left us an invitation...literally stuck to the door. I wonder how that worked." Weiss thought aloud.

"Really she just came here to scope out the competition." Yang said.

"Will you give that a rest?" She huffed.

"It sure was nice for her to arrange this." Ruby figured as she struggled to open a bag of crisps.

"Yeah." Emin spoke for the sake of speaking, staring at the bag that Ruby was now trying to open with her teeth. "I think I'm gonna get some snacks too." He then hurried off.

"He's in a hurry." Yang noted.

"I don't think Emin is one for social events." Weiss shrugged.

"Aside from that..." They both turned to Blake as she spoke up. "Have you ever noticed that Emin wears bandages around his arms?"

"Not really." Yang said plainly.

"He always wears long-sleeved clothes." Weiss pointed out.

Blake narrowed her eyes. "Like he's trying to hide something..."

Suddenly, crisps burst around the team, as Ruby guiltily stood with the two halves of the packet in one hand each. "...Oops."

Emin stuffed a salmon sandwich in his mouth as he shuffled away from every stray stranger that strolled his way. He really didn't want to be around all these people who he could end up fighting later, plus they all looked intimidating one way or another, to him at least.

He looked around to try and see anybody else he recognised. He spotted Team JNPR with Nora...getting Jaune in a headlock? He decided not to bother them. He also saw Velvet awkwardly standing around, not really knowing what to do, maybe he should go over to her. He also surprisingly found himself looking for Penny as well, but either he couldn't find her, or, more likely, she wasn't here.

Then he stopped.

He saw a group of people who made his blood run cold. And it was funny because...he'd never seen them before.

There were four of them, all wearing a uniform of some kind. The first one was a woman with pale skin, black hair tied back into a ponytail, and sinister orange eyes. The second was a guy who had sweeping grey hair with matching eyes and a casual grin. The third was a dark-skinned woman with mint green hair in a bowlcut and red eyes.

But the fourth one...he felt intimidated just looking at her.

She had dark red short hair that curved up into little curls at the ends along the side and back of her head, whilst the top of her head had red hair sticking out erratically and messily. She had a pale complexion and dark pink eyes, but the obvious thing about her was that she had stitches across her forehead in an x-shape, and another set of stitches in a line from underneath her right eye to her chin.

Emin stared at the group, in one of those instances when you want to look away from something, but you just can't.

He then inhaled sharply as the redhead looked at him with a smile, and wiggled her fingers at him as a wave.

He spun on his heel and quickly walked away from the snack bar. But what was that feeling? A gut instinct? Whatever it was, he didn't like it...

"Oh, Emin!" He looked around to find someone else familiar walking towards him.

"Ms. Noir!" Emin replied.

"Please, Ms. Noir is far too formal, just call me Clair." She told him. "I must admit, it was nice for that woman to organise this, I think it was a wonderful idea."

"Strawberry, she's one of my guardians." Emin told her.

"Really? I'll have to meet her then." Clair smiled, looking around.

As Emin also tried to look for her, he once again spotted the group of four, and the same chill ran up his spine, prompting him to ask: "Clair?"

"Hm?"

"Do you know who those four are? Over there?" He deliberately pointed when they weren't looking.

"Them?" Clair pondered for a moment. "Yeah, actually, they were on the registration. The one leading them there is Cinder Fall, the guy is Mercury Black, and the one with green hair is Emerald Sustrai."

"...What about her?" He pointed to the last one.

Clair frowned. "I've heard of her...Lilith Angres. Do me a favour Emin, and stay far away from her."

"Why?" He felt he needed to say.

"Let's just say there are some rumours about her." Clair said, making Emin stare at Lilith a little longer, before walking off to anywhere else.

Somehow he found himself in the hall just outside the area, and to be honest, he was glad to be away from it all. He knew Strawberry meant well with this, but all it did was make him uncomfortable.

"Can't believe this, ugh!"

Emin noticed the voice and looked to his left to see a young woman, about 18, sitting there in a huff. She had orange, scruffy hair hanging across her forehead, whilst the rest was covered by a green beanie, with caucasian skin and army green eyes. She wore a pink hoodie with dark pink lines around the waist and wrists, whilst a grey strap dangled down from her neck (attached to a grey choker) to the waist of her orange shorts, where it split up into two traps around her thighs, that held a small grey satchel to the side of her left thigh, with a pair of brown hiking boots completing her appearance.

"...Hello." Emin waved awkwardly.

She only just noticed his presence. "Who are you?"

"I'm Emin. Emin Phlox." He told her.

"Fantastic to make your acquaintance." She muttered with a snarky smile.

"...So, what's your name?" Emin asked.

"Me? I'm Magnolia Majorelle." She shrugged. "People just call me Oli, though."

"Nice to meet you, Oli." Emin nodded.

"Sure, likewise, whatever." Oli replied, disinterested. "Looks like your not one for parties."

"Isn't that a bit hypocritical?" Emin pointed out.

"Antisocial, there's a difference." Oli said. "And answer my question, so do you just hate everybody in there or what?"

"N-No!" Emin replied hurriedly. "Nothing like that!"

Oli snorted with a grin. "I'm just messing with you, idiot!"

'It doesn't feel like that...' Emin thought.

"Oi, Maggie! I brought you the small buffet you requested!" Emin spun around to come face to face with Titian. "Woah! It's the game master!"

"Titian?" Emin said.

"In the flesh." He stated proudly, before looking behind him at Magnolia. "Ah, I see you've met my rude, snarky leader."

"Leader?" Emin echoed in confusion.

"What the heck, Titian!?" Oli raged. "And stop calling me Maggie! It's annoying!"

"Just speaking the truth." He held out a plate filled with sandwiches, meats, fish, cheese and brownies. "Here, already."

Oli snatched the plate off of him. "Your just a cocky self-obsessed moron!"

"What!? After I got all that for you!? And where's my thank-you!?" Titian growled.

"Where your ego is, go get it." Oli muttered as she ate, causing them to throw more insults at each other.

Emin just stared dumbly at them as they fought. 'Oli is Titian's leader?...Their team name IS MDNT, so I guess she is...still though, do they really work together?"

Suddenly there was a large crash in the room, followed by shouting, causing the two MDNT members to stop arguing.

"Oh no." Titian said before running back in.

"Not this again!" Oli complained as she also ran in.

Emin followed behind to see the room practically divided into two, with a smashed table in the centre. On the left side, Yang was being held back by Ruby and Weiss, whilst on the right side Bruno Deer was also holding back a girl.

The young woman in question had slightly tanned skin, and messy black hair that had two little rose clips on either side of her head, which swept across her forehead and in front of her left ear, along with light chocolate brown eyes. She wore pink shortsleeved kimono with a dark pink sash tied around her stomach, and purple edges around the waist, whilst the right side of it, slipped down past her right shoulder, revealing she wore a black tank top underneath, as evidenced by the black strap across her shoulder. A white open dress also folded out down to her thighs from underneath the dress, where she wore form-fitting black shorts over brown trousers leading to brown slip-on shoes. But the most obvious thing about her was that she wore red war paint in slash-like streaks under her eyes, shoulders and along her arms, painted on, with a little red rose on both biceps.

"Say that again! I dare you!" Yang raged from one side of the room.

"I'll say it again as many times as I need to until you get it! Your annoying!" The girl raged from the other side, making them claw the air inbetween them.

"Come on, Nhema!" Titian groaned.

"Bruno! What happened!?" Oli asked.

"The blonde just told a few jokes and then she went beserk!" Bruno wheezed from holding her teammate back.

"Let it go, Yang!" Ruby pleaded.

"Seriously, stop it." Weiss told her plainly.

From the sidelines, Strawberry sighed with a dismayed look. "The one time Ozpin lets me do anything and it ends in disaster..."

Emin obviously took notice of this, and his eyes turned sad at seeing her look so gloomy. Nodding to himself, he put on his sternest face (which wasn't all that stern) and marched inbetween the two groups.

"Hey." He said, catching the attention of both sides. "Stop fighting! Strawberry worked very hard on putting this together and your ruining it and making her sad! That's very selfish of you! I won't let you upset her so much, so just let it go, or go away!"

"E-Emin!" Strawberry gasped in embarrassment, whilst Azure snored.

Yang looked down guiltily and the girl, Nhema, composed herself with a sad look.

"Sorry, Emin. Sorry Strawberry." Yang apologised. "I kinda screwed everything up."

"I'm sorry, too. It was wrong of me." Nhema said.

"Please forgive her, that's just how she is." Bruno begged.

"It's not her fault really, just her super short flawed fuse." Oli shrugged.

"Don't talk as if you don't have your own personality problems." Titian muttered.

"Well so do you!" Oli argued, the two of them glaring at each other.

"Will you please stop!?" Bruno cried pushing them away from each other, his furred hood flopping over his shoulder.

"Are you guys supposed to be a team?" Ruby asked.

"Your the least compatible team I've ever seen." Weiss stated.

"And we weren't?" Blake questioned her, making the Dust heiress shoot her a look.

"We are too a team, missy! We're Team MDNT!" Oli declared. "I'm Magnolia, the leader! But just call me Oli!"

"I'm Bruno Deer, and this is Nhema Roseoak." Bruno introduced the two middle members.

"Of course I need no introduction, but I'll give it anyway. Titian Nix, at your service." He bowed.

"...Er...nice to meet you?" Ruby replied awkwardly.

"I guess I never introduced myself properly." Emin thought aloud. "I'm Eminence Phlox, leader of Team SEA and-"

"Woah, woah, woah, hold up." Titian walked over to him. "Team SEA? Your the leader?"

"T-Technically, spiritual." Emin mumbled, not at all comfortable with his presence.

"Wait, you know Emin's team?" Weiss asked.

"Team SEA's apparently a surefire contender in the Vytal Tournament, at least that's what we've heard, seeing as two of them are already fully-fledged Hunters." Bruno said.

"In that case, this is perfect!" Titian declared, thrusting a finger in Emin's face. "Emin Phlox! I challenge you to a duel!"

"Huh!?" Everybody gasped.

"This will be perfect training and preperation! Going up against the leader of the No. 1 team!" Titian voiced his thoughts. "I'm confident in my strength, so whaddya say?"

"Umm..." Emin quivered under his form.

"Your problem is that your too full of yourself." Oli stated, walking up to him. "If your gonna spout stuff like that, then I, as the leader, should fight him!"

"What!? Don't just use leadership rights like that!" Titian raged.

"Are you just doing this to go against Titian, Maggie?" Nhema mumbled.

"No! Shut up! And don't call me that!" Oli raged.

"All of you have forgotten one thing..." The entire MDNT team looked up to see a demonic Strawberry towering above them with glowing red eyes. "You haven't taken Emin's thought into account...so how about you fight ME instea-"

"Okay." Emin said.

"Eh?" Strawberry gaped, losing her demon form.

"I'll fight you. I want to see how strong my opponents will be." Emin reasoned.

"Well at least he has some sense." Oli nodded. "So then...does this place have an arena?"

 _RWBY_

In practically no time at all, Emin was wearing his red shirt, holding his jacket, whilst Eclipse Star rested near his feet, standing on one end of the training arena, whilst Oli stood on the other side.

"Why would Emin agree to this?" Velvet thought aloud, sitting next to Team RWBY.

"Go, Emin! Win no matter what!" Ruby cheered nonetheless.

Emin went to put on his jacket, but looked at his bandaged arms as he went to put them through the sleeves. He paused for a moment, before folding up his jacket and leaving it on the ground, before picking up Eclipse Star.

In the front row, Strawberry's eyes widened in realisation as Emin left his other layer of clothing. "So that's what this is about..."

Emin stared over at Oli, as she was fitting multiple gold pieces together. "Um...Oli? What is that?"

"A gun, just a gun." She shrugged before holding it up, revealing it as a long barreled golden rifle with a heavy diamong shaped body and a three pointed crosshair targeter without a laser pointer, and curved handgrips both underneath it and sticking out at the side, making it look more like she was holding a cannon.

"Actually, that's a sniper rifle." Emin pointed out.

"Whatever, a gun's a gun." She shrugged. "Only this one is MINE. Golden Flash!"

Emin gripped his weapon as the blades extended, and he held it out. "Well this is mine! Eclipse Star!"

Both their Aura levels were shown as green on the monitor, as a timer counted down from 3...2...1!

As soon as it hit 0, a large blast was heard as Oli fired a bullet. Eclipse Star spun rapildy to act as a shield, but as soon as the bullet made contact with the shuriken it exploded into a powerful blast of wind that whooshed throughout the room, sending Emin flying back and skidding across the ground.

His eyes were wide from shock at the hidden large impact, as he sat up to see Oli reloading. 'Dust-enhanced bullets...but they're really powerful!'

Another shot was fired, and Emin quickly disappeared in a flash of sky blue and violet as the wall behind where he previously was exploded.

"What!? Where did he go!?" Oli questioned, before looking up only to see Emin falling towards her, changing Eclipse Star into its lance form. Ahe jumped back as he impaled the ground, then re-established his footing to swing at her again but she leaned away to dodge that swip, and another, before attempting to hit him with the body of Golden Flash, only for him to teleport away again. She looked around cautiously, until Emin appeared behind her with his weapon returned to its shuriken form, swing at her, which Oli dodged again, but he quickly anticipated that and dig a backhand swing, stabbing one of the shurikens four points into her abdomen. Thankfully her Aura took the hit and prevented her skin from being pierced, but she was still sent skidding back.

"Oh come on! Teleporting as a Semblance!? No fair!" Oli complained.

"Actually, it's technically not teleporting." Emin said.

"Like I care!" She fired again, only for Emin to disappear again. "Not this time!" She suddenly turned the extending handle like a crank, changing the barrel of the rifle, before aiming at the ground and firing, not only launching herself into the air, but unleashing a massive tidal wave on the area around her thanks to the blue Dust bullet.

Emin reappeared under the wave, and quickly held Eclipse Star above his head as a small cyclone enveloped him and sent him spinning skyward with its propellor function, before spinning slowly so that he could descend safely, avoiding the water. The people in the audience weren't as lucky, and got drenched.

Oli landed back on the ground and cranked the ammo again, taking aim and firing at Emin again. Though this time, midway through flight, the bullet burst apart into tiny little stone shrapnel because of the brown Dust. He teleported away again as the ceiling, walls, and practically his entire side of the arena was peppered with tiny, sharp stones.

As Oli was reloading, the shrapnel continued to fly around her, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed a trail of light blue and violet energy, like a fiery aurora. "Gotcha." She said as she fired at it with a wind bullet, exploding against the energy stream, which grouped together and re-materialised into Emin, who crashed down to the ground from the impact.

He winced in pain, struggling to his feet from the unexpected hit. 'She saw me whilst I was transporting?' He gripped Eclipse Star and tossed it at her, forcing her to dodge, giving Emin enough time to look up at the screen which showed both of their Aura levels were at a very low yellow.

Wanting to end it, Emin immediately located where his weapon had landed, and teleported over towards it. However, Oli had also followed his line of view and she ran over and kicked the shuriken away just as Emin reappeared in front of her. She aimed her rifle at him whilst jumping back, and Emin only had time to cross his arms in defense before she fired.

An explosion was the result of the bullet hitting Emin as Oli herself was sent skidding on her back from the force, whilst Emin was thrown all the way to the other side of the arena, sprawling and tumbling across the ground as heavy smoke drifted off of him, whilst on the screen, his Aura meter dropped straight from yellow to red to nothing.

And his bandages had unravelled, and fluttered down into the centre of the battlefield, where they burned into black ash.

"Emin!" Strawberry cried as she rushed over to him.

"It...It's okay, Strawberry, I'm alright. My Aura protected me." He reassured her.

"Your bandages!" She pointed out.

Meanwhile, Oli stood up, the barrel of her sniper rifle smoldering from the multiple shots. "Welp, looks like I win, sure as hell wasn't easy though."

"Don't you think you went a bit overboard?" Bruno asked as her teammates came over.

"There's no such thing as overboard in a fight." Oli said as she waved her weapon around to cool it down. "Still though, that was a good fight."

"Emin, are you okay!?" Team RWBY and JNPR, except for Jaune who was lagging behind, all ran over to him. "Is something wro-" They froze as they came across Emin, and their eyes widened in horror.

"Wait up!" Jaune called as he joined them. "What's the...big...problem..."

"Emin?" Velvet asked worriedly, only to gasp at what she saw.

Emin's arms were completely covered, from shoulder to wrist, in horrible scars. Deep, red, slashing scars that carved into his limbs in jagged erratic angles and crosses that made him look like Frankenstein.

"Emin...your arms..." Pyrrha breathed.

"Yeah...they're pretty bad." Emin admitted, looking at his right arm. "You don't learn how to use a weapon like Eclipse Star without having a few...accidents."

"Why are there so many, then...?" Blake whispered to herself.

Emin stood up and walked over to his jacket, picking it up and hiding the wounds beneath the sleeves. "It's something I promised myself from these...to get stronger, and make everybody proud. So, I don't mind them, really."

He then jogged over and picked Eclipse Star up, re-attaching it to his back as Oli walked over. "Thanks for agreeing to this whole thing. Coulda done without the crowd, but, whatever. Hope that we get to fight again in the Vytal Tournament, at least." She held out her hand.

"Sure, I'll do better next time." Emin agreed, accepting the handshake.

Strawberry and the Teams let their worried expressions fade at the newly formed bond between the two, though some still gazed at his covered arms.

Meanwhile, just outside, a figure leaned against the wall, listening in.

"Your very interesting...Catalyst." Lilith Angres smirked.

 **Character Bio**

 **Magnolia Majorelle (created by neonewray): Weapon - Golden Flash (Sniper Rifle) Based off of 'The Sniper' written by** **Liam O'Flaherty**

 **Nhema Roseoak (created by neonewray): Weapon - Ivory Queens (Hook Swords)** **Based off of a combination of Maria Makiling and Chang'e**

 **Lilith Angres (created by OPFan37): No informatiom known. Rumored to have killed her own parents.**

 **New chapter, everybody! Hooray! Firstly though, I would like to apologise to neonewray, or The Fresh Prince of BANANAS as she is known on this site, for changing one of her OC's name from 'Noir' to 'Nhema', purely because I forgot about it when I designed Clair Noire. It basically has the same meaning, just in a different language, so I hope you can forgive me.**

 **There's a reason this chapter is a bit late, but it's a good reason! I've been saving this chapters release for NewComer1's birthday today! (I hope. Timezones and all that.) Happy birthday, dude! And have a great time!**

 **I also want to say that, I really appreciate the feedback I got last chapter from all of you. All I can do is write in comparison to the rest of the RWBY fandom, compared to fanart and fan animations (seriously, check out Team SLVR on Youtube, and no, I didn't copy that for Viola's team.) I'm nothing much, really.**

 **So, as a special treat, and seeing as its a birthday today, we're gonna have a little Q and A!**

 **[Skype Caller: PurpPoseidonXD]**

 **Emin: Hello? Is this working? Hello, I'm Emin Phlox, from Beacon Academy!...Is this really working?**

 **[Skype Caller: 2Cute4U3]**

 **Strawberry: There we go! Ahhhhhh! Emin! Your here too!? How's that Skype account I made for you working?**

 **Emin: Strawberry! I'm glad your here!...Wait, what did you put my username as?**

 **[Skype Caller: Azure]**

 **Azure: Okay, I'm here...oh hey, Emin, Strawberry.**

 **Emin: Azure? Your here too? Wait, then why aren't we all doing this together?**

 **Strawberry: Because it's cooler this way!...Azure! What's with that username?**

 **Azure: Oh, that? I couldn't think of a name, so I just put mine. Better then both of yours at least...**

 **Strawberry: I swear, your lazy at everything!**

 **Emin: So, what are we doing?**

 **I'll explain that. You guys are able to ask me, or any of these three characters here, any questions you have about them (or if it's on the story as a whole, ask me) and they'll answer, right?**

 **Emin: Um...okay?**

 **Strawberry: Sounds like fun!**

 **Azure: I've got nothing better to do.**

 **Excellent! Either leave your questions in a review to be answered next chapter, or PM me your questions and we'll answer as soon as possible! Because, y'kbow, we need to sleep!**

 **Azure: Can I do that now?**

 **Strawberry: No!**

 **Emin: I guess this is okay...I'll answer any questions as best I can!**

 **So, everybody! As always, thank you so much for reading, and I shall see you all next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Penny for a Promise

"Ta-da!" Strawberry cheered dazzlingly. "Well, what do you guys think?"

"This was really nice, thank you, Strawberry." Emin smiled.

"Yeah, you really did a great job with these." Azure complimented.

Team SEA were currently lounging in their collective room on a rare day off for all of them. To keep herself busy from her tinkering and her plants, the actual leader of the group had taken up fashion, and had made some new outfits for the three of them to wear.

Azure was wearing a dark red crisp suit buttoned up below the neck but above the stomach, with the back of it being an upside-down triangle shaped end. Underneath this (as could be seen at the chest and stomach) he wore a white button up shirt with the collar done up, accompanied by a black bowtie. He also wore black skinny trousers, and matching square-soled zip-up boots, and white gloves with little black diamonds on the back of them. Strawberry called this outfit 'Devil'.

Strawberry wore a white sleeveless dress that reached her knees, that had the thin, fancy handwriting style outline of a heart on the chest, and around the skirt of the dress, which ended in little diamond shaped tassles. She wore white gloves that extended up to her biceps, and a pair of red slip-on shoes with tall knee reaching white socks with two gold rings around the necks. At her waist she wore her whip fastened like a belt, upon which two white patches with little green pictures of sprouts printed on them sat. Finally, for decorative purposes (as she described it) two little angel wings were attached to the back of the dress, not visible from the front. She dubbed her own outfit 'Angel'.

Emin now had on a black long-sleeved shirt with black buckles around the forearms to fasten it to the arm, whilst over this he wore a white open sleeveless jacket with a purple diamond pattern, showing off the silver circular buttons that did up the front of his shirt. He also wore a pair of black trousers that started off thin at the waist, but became baggier further down until they reached the ankles, where it tucked into the long tongue of the round-soled zigzag black lace boots. The most prominent thing accompanying the outfit, though, was the dark purple scarf wrapped around his neck, which covered the shoulders as well, with the two ends being so long they actually reached the floor, and ending in arrowhead shapes. On the left-front of the scarf, just underneath his left eye, was a black print of his emblem; A star with sharp arrowhead edges, and a purple spiral void in the center. His own outfit was named 'Ghost'.

"Why, thank you." Strawberry beamed, taking a bow. "Besides, all our other clothes need to wash. You guys never wear anything different, do you?"

Azure shrugged. "What can I say? What works, works."

Strawberry sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "Anyway, since we have a day off, I figured we'd do something together! Any suggestions?"

"I've got the perfect day in mind." Azure paused for dramatic effect. "We order takeout, and binge watch Teen Beowolf."

"That's YOUR perfect day, Azure." Strawberry lightly bopped him on the head. "What about you, Emin?"

He pondered for a moment, what DID he want to do? He'd either be studying or cleaning on a day like this, and Strawberry wouldn't allow that. He was about to say 'just go to the library and play Remnant', but that wouldn't be fair on his guardians. He racked his brain for an answer, until he remembered something.

"Let's go to the CCT Tower!" He said.

"Wha-? The CCT? Why do you wanna go there of all places?" Azure asked.

"I want to look at the inside of it at least." He explained.

"Huh...y'know your right, we never have actually taken you inside of there." Strawberry pondered. "Alright then, we'll do that."

Azure gave a double thumbs up then hopped off of the bed. "Your the boss. Might be a good chance to check some things out, too." He gave Strawberry a knowing look, making the pinkhead frown.

"Fair enough." She responded diligently.

"Let's hurry, then!" Emin cried as he hurried out.

 _RWBY_

Admittedly, Emin had only been half-lying.

It's true, he had never been inside the CCT Tower before, and was interested in what it was like, but he had another objective in mind. Obviously though, he couldn't help but marvel at the giant rectangular structure towering above him, which he not only could he always see out his window, but was one of the four providers of communication across Remnant.

He continued glancing around as he walked in, with the holographic screens lined up in rows. Discreetly, Azure nudged Strawberry, and she nodded.

"Emin, we're just gonna check something quickly, do you mind?" Strawberry asked.

"Nope, I'll just check around here." He gestured.

"See you in a bit, then." And the two of them walked off.

As soon as they went in the elevator, Emin whipped out his Scroll and typed in a few buttons, running outside just in time for his locker to land in front of him. He thrust it open and his guilty stash of knicknacks spilled out, forcing him to scoop them back into the bag and heave it over his shoulder, before launching the locker back to its original location.

Yes, Emin did want to see the CCT Tower, but really that was just an excuse to get him out of Beacon so that he could hide his goodies more effectively. Too many times had Azure and/or Strawberry almost walked in on his precious things, so he needed a more effective hiding place, and that's when he remembered something.

He sneaked around the back of the building and near a group of bushes, pushing them away to reveal literally a hole in the ground.

"Viola's secret hiding place." Emin nodded. He went to drag the bag into it, but stopped momentarily. A pang of guilt hit his heart as he was essentially dumping junk into a special hole which his sister used to use. "Well...I guess it's the same principle." He quickly shoved the bag in and covered it up again with the bushes.

"She was always good at keeping things to herself, making a hole here to hide all her chocolates and candy away from me." A faint smile crossed his lips as he remembered. "But then Azure found out, and he told me where it was, and we ate all her chocolate and she found out...and she just said 'Welp, it's my fault for not hiding it good enough'...she was always like that..."

His smile quickly turned into a quivering lip and glazed eyes. "I still miss you..." He shook his head before he could start crying. "Maybe I should visit..."

He walked back around the front of the building feeling sadder then he would have liked, now only to wait for Azure and Strawberry to finish whatever they were doing. As he looked up, though, he spotted a group of familiar people.

"Ruby! Penny! Weiss!" He quickly ran over to them.

"Oh, Emin, what are you doing here?" The white-haired girl asked.

"I'm just visiting the tower with Strawberry and Azure." He smiled, turning to look at Penny, who stiffened at the eye contact. "I've missed you, Penny! It's been a while since we last met."

"Um, I don't understand." Penny replied, giving off a hiccup.

"Huh? It's me, Emin." He pointed at himself for emphasis.

"Uh...I've got to go!" She quickly turned around and walked away.

"What was that about?" Weiss asked.

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out." She started to follow before calling back: "You go make your call! I'll meet up with you later!"

"Wait!" Weiss sighed angrily. "She never learns...so, where are Azure and Strawberry then, Emin?...Emin?" She looked at him, only to find a confused look on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Penny?" He asked no-one in particular, worryingly.

"Emin?" Weiss repeated.

"I don't understand..." His confused look changed to...hurt. "I...I don't..."

Weiss took him by the wrist. "Come on, let's go find Azure and Strawberry." She pulled him along, with Emin still staring at where Penny and Ruby had gone.

 _RWBY_

"Miss Peach, what you are requesting has been classified as condidential." The man on the end of the holographic screen told her. His slicked back black hair and pristine white uniform indicated he was from Atlas.

"I have permission from James Ironwood." She stated firmly, holding up her Scroll to the screen.

"Ah, my apologies." He quickly replied. "I shall search the documents now."

Strawberry turned to Azure whilst the man on the other line was searching. "You really think it's that bad?" Azure asked.

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Strawberry told him. "Those design plans we found looked incredibly dangerous, even at an incomplete level. If it was successfully created, it would pose as great a threat as the Grimm, possibly even more so."

"I have recovered all files on Project DARK, Miss Peach." She turned to face the screen again. "It is a...side focus, that Atlas officials have been investigating. We have only managed to recover Atlesian-Knight copies from White Fang hideouts, and broken machinery which some theorise could be harmful weaponry. Other then that, we don't have much to go on."

"I see...thank you anyway." She nodded as she ended the call. "No help there then..."

Azure patted her on the back. "C'mon, let's grab Emin then we'll go get pizza."

Strawberry allowed herself a giggle. "Silly me...it's our day off and I'm still worried about this..."

"Strawberry! Azure!" They both looked up to see Weiss stepping out of the elevator, pulling Emin along.

"Weiss? What are you doing here?" Azure asked.

"Just came to call someone." She said as she stopped in front of them. "I think something's wrong with Emin."

"Emin?" Strawberry looked him in the eye, only to find them sad and worried. "What's wrong?"

Emin had a faraway gaze about him. "Penny...don't go...I don't understand..."

"Oh god..." She breathed.

"Weiss, thanks." Azure quickly thanked her as they both helped Emin into the elevator.

"Hey! What is wrong with-" The doors closed before she could finish. "Ugh!"

"Emin? Emin, what happened?" Strawberry continued to ask him as they travelled down.

"Is it something wrong with me...?" He whispered.

"This is bad..." Azure muttered. "What name did he say before? Penny?"

"You don't think a similar thing could have happened, do you?" Strawberry asked as the elevator doors opened.

Immediately, Emin snapped out of his trance and ran forward. "Emin!" Strawberry gasped.

'Not this time! I have to know!' He thought as he teleported away.

"Shoot! He could've gone anywhere!" Azure thought aloud, pulling out his Scroll. "He's not answering."

"Split up and find him, use your Semblance to look from the sky." Strawberry instructed as she ran off. "Please, this can't happen again!"

Meanwhile, Emin was teleporting all over Vale, shouting Penny's name in vain, only to get no reply. "I just want to know..." He mumbled, as he suddenly overheard the sound of an announcement being broadcast. "General Ironwood?" He quickly teleported over.

He watched from the rooftop at the demonstration of the new robots...what were they called again? He didn't care, he just wanted to find them. Then, purely by coincidence, he spotted both Penny and Ruby running from a pair of Atlas soldiers.

"Penny!" He suddenly teleported in front of them, shocking them into stopping.

"Emin!?" Ruby gasped.

"There they are!" The Atlas Soldier pointed.

Without hesitation or thought, Emin unclipped Eclipse Star from his back and threw it at the soldiers, forcing them to jump out of the way, whilst Emin created a portal to grab his weapon and return it to his side.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby asked.

Emin whipped around back to them with a distraught look. "What did I do?"

"H-Huh?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Penny! Tell me what I did wrong!" Emin hurriedly asked her.

"Wrong!? I don't know." Penny answered without hiccuping.

"Then why do you hate me!? Why did you forget me!?" Emin cried.

"I didn't!" Penny replied.

"Hurry!" More Soldiers began to chase after them.

"Let's talk about this later!" Ruby grabbed Penny and sped off using her Semblance.

"Wait!" Emin zapped into a bolt of blue and violet electricity, but instead of teleporting, he chased after them as a spark. Suddenly, Ruby crashed into the ground, making the both of them sprawl into the street as Emin reappeared in front of them. "Then why did you run away? I don't understand!"

"Emin, this isn't-!" Ruby began, but she was cut off by a loud honking noise, as a large truck sped towards them.

Almost instantaneously, both Ruby and Emin were pushed away as Penny held her palms out and stopped the truck with sheer strength, making the ground crack beneath her.

"Penny...?" Ruby asked in fear as a crowd began to gather.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked the driving shopkeeper.

"Uh-huh..." He replied fearfully.

Emin just lay there in shock, his breathing reduced to a whisper as he stared at the sky, laying on his back.

Penny looked around at the bystanders, before running off, accidentally knocking into Ruby. "Penny! Come back!" Ruby chased after her into an alleyway.

Emin slowly lifted himself up into a cross-legged sitting position, with a thousand yard stare on his face. "...Ah." He breathed.

He sat there for a moment, oblivious to everything around him...it was all just so sudden...so horrible...so familiar...the awful feeling of sickness in his stomach, the way time seemed to slow, what he thought...it was too, too familiar.

"Why do I feel like this?" He thought aloud. "I don't want to...but I don't know how to make it right..." He stared up at the sky.

"Viola...what do I do?"

He thought about that for a moment. "...I want to be happy." He said. "And I'm happy with...my friends. But right now I'm not happy with a friend...so..." He stood up. "I'll talk."

 _RWBY_

"Come on, Emin, where did you go?" Azure sighed, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, eventually reaching a building on the edge of Vale. "Geez...it's even worse now that his Semblance works like that...okay, maybe not worse but...huh?"

He peered in through the window to see multiple White Fang banners, as well as many desks and screens. "Woah." He quickly opened his Scroll. "Strawberry!"

"Azure, did you find Emin?" She instantly asked.

"Not yet, but I've found something bad." Azure craned his neck, trying to get a better view. "I've found a White Fang hideout, Project DARK related, desks and everything. And it looks like the parties still on."

"Wait, what?" Strawberry asked, before covering her mouth to swear. "This is the worst possible time...stay there Azure, and DON'T MOVE! I'll find Emin and then I'll head over to you. Keep me updated!"

"Roger-dodger." Azure agreed.

 _RWBY_

Emin obviously noticed Penny and the two Atlas Soldiers walking down the street, despite how discreet they were trying to be. He then proceeded to blatantly walk in front of them.

"Sorry, kid, we're very busy at the moment." The first soldier dismissed him.

"Chrome." Emin stated plainly.

The two soldiers stopped and looked at each other. "...How do you know that?"

"Can I talk to Penny, please?" He requested, and the soldiers stared, before nodding solemnly.

Penny herself looked very uncomfortable. "S...Salutations...Emin." She waved nervously.

Emin blinked twice before speaking. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" She replied.

"Your not really real, are you?" He asked.

Penny's eyes widened before looking away shamefully. "No..." She revealed her injured hands, which were filled with mechanical parts.

Emin nodded. "Is that why you didn't want to talk to me? Because I would get in trouble?"

"...Yes." She admitted.

He nodded again, though hung his head more. "I didn't take how you felt into account, and just selfishly thought about how I felt...I'm a terrible friend."

"Your not, Emin!" Penny hurriedly replied. "It's because of how I acted that you feel like this and...I don't want to make my friend unhappy...and I didn't want you to find out that I'm-"

"I don't mind." Emin shrugged, stopping her. "Even if your not who you want me to believe, your human. You will always be you, and you will always be my friend, Penny, no matter what. So...I just wanted to apologise for getting in your way and making you feel sad!"

There was a pause between them, before Penny's face lit up with a bright smile and she hugged him. "Emin! Your the best boy friend I could ever have! Thank you!"

"I think you phrased it a bit wrong." Emin mumbled as he shook his head.

"By the way, I wanted to show you...um..." She closed the distance between them, out of the earshot of the soldiers, before pulling out the little bobblehead from her pocket and whispering: "I kept this hidden, and I always keep it on me, because its the gift you gave me."

Emin's heart warmed at the sight of the little thing, before he remembered what he felt when thinking she hated him...and he felt he had to say it.

"Penny..." He held one of her hands tightly in both his own. "Can you do me a favour?"

"What is it?" She asked.

Emin squeezed her wounded hand tightly before speaking.

"Please...please don't die, Penny." He begged.

Penny stared at him for a bit, before smiling lightly. "I won't. Promise!"

Emin released her hand, and looked at the two soldiers. "Um...this was all my fault. I kinda talked to Penny and got her in trouble. So, yeah, tell General Ironwood and Colress that. Goodbye!" He then teleported away.

The two soldiers looked at each other dumbly, whilst Penny smiled.

As Emin reappeared on a rooftop, he heard his Scroll beep again, and this time picked it up. "Hey, Strawberry!"

"Emin! Oh thank goodness, I thought I'd lost you forever!" She panicked down the line. "And then I would've ended up as one of those old women who has seven cats!"

"Sorry, Strawberry, but I hung out with my friends and now I feel better again." He vaguely told her.

"Super! Okay, this is a bit short notice but there's some White Fang biz going down on the edge of town and me and Azure think it's linked to something we're investigating. Want to come help?"

"Okay, I'm with you!" Emin declared as he teleported away.

 _RWBY_

Emin arrived at the building, which turned out to be a theatre, at the same time as Strawberry, causing her to suffocate him with a hug whilst crying.

"My little Emiiiiiiiin!" She sobbed.

"Strawberry...I'm better now, really!" He breathed.

"Glad to hear it." Azure stated as he floated down beside them. "Let's bust this thing wide open. Team SEA style!"

"Yeah!" The leader and spiritual leader cheered as the trio kicked down the door together.

The theatre seemed empty and cold, far different from it's intended purpose. The red velvet chairs were all stacked against the walls, some even tipped over, and the supposedly bright red crimson curtain with gold trimmings, was a dull red, with dirty yellow tassles. Unmistakably though, White Fang banners hung from either side of the stage, and desks were set up in the upper audience platforms, with the only thing lighting them being the spotlights hanging from above, which were broken and hanging down limply, shining light straight below them.

"It's quiet...are you sure they were here, Azure?" Strawberry asked as they proceeded to tread carefully.

"I swear I heard people talking...and I definitely saw the curtains moving." He said as they walked up towards them.

"Stop!" The three of them jumped at the voice, as a pair of arms stretched out from the curtains. "Don't move!"

Team SEA got into a battle stance as the figure emerged from the curtains, revealing himself as Weber Rust. But what was more interesting was the chair he was sitting on.

It was a swivel chair, with the spinning seat and four legs with wheels, but it was almost completely metallic. The arm restsers seemed to have black rectangular rhombus' sticking out the back of them, with the right armrest being slightly longer then the left one. The seat of the chair seemed to be slightly divided into pentagons, making it similar to a tortoise's shell. The back of it was very large, and seemed to be in the shape of a very fat 'I' for lack of better description, with the front of it having arrowheads running up it, whilst on the back was a white spherical crustal. It had a head as well, which had two see-through jet black curving arms across from it to, supposedly, clamp onto your head. The legs of the chair were split up into two silver legs with four wheels each, and the things that connected the seat, back, and head of the chair together, where red wires all bound together.

"Hello." He waved.

"Who are you?" Strawberry demanded.

"Me? I suppose you could call me a visionary, an inventor, a genius, a weaponist, take your pick." He told her in a very bored tone.

"A name." She said strongly.

He leaned back in his chair and folded his right leg over his left. "Weber Rust, seeing as your dying to know."

"Are you working for the White Fang?" Azure asked.

Weber gave an overdramatic groan. "WITH, I'm not some mindless goon working for something as mundane as Lien."

"Do you know anything about Project DARK?" Strawberry asked.

Weber scratched his head. "Hmm...that name does sound familiar...I guess I'm just so used to calling it 'My Beautiful Masterpiece' that the official title slips my mind occasionally."

"Wait...YOU are the one working on it!?" Strawberry asked angrily.

He clicked his fingers and pointed at her. "Bingo. What gave it away?"

Strawberry gave a cold, hard glare that was not normal for her. "In that case, your coming back to Beacon Academy with us. NOW." Emin and Azure looked at each other nervously, nobody messed with a mad Strawberry.

"Woah, woah, you wouldn't attack an unarmed guy with glasses would you?" Weber asked innocently.

"When he's building a weapon that threatens everything I care about? Yes. Then I'll drag him back to Beacon!" She declared.

Weber pushed his glasses up his nose and huffed. "This is a bit of a problem then...only one thing for it. Bye!" He kicked off the ground, making him wheel his chair back behind the curtains.

"Get back here!" Strawberry broke into a run, along with Emin and Azure.

They didn't get far however, as the curtains suddenly opened to reveal a lot of White Fang members just before they fired rounds from their guns towards the team of three.

Emin blocked the shots with Eclipse Star spinning like a shield, Azure held out his staff and launched a miniature typhoon the blew the blasts away, and Strawberry threw some seeds onto the ground that instantly sprouted up into two mini beanstalks, blocking the bullets.

When they stopped firing, Weber Rust smiled from the middle of the stage. "Colour me impressed, your still alive."

"You coward!" Azure shouted, noticing that the revealed stage had a giant picture of a shadowed machine on it with the word 'D.A.R.K' in bold red underneath it.

"Like it? My idea. The poster, I mean, and of course the entire machine." Weber laughed as the White Fang goons crowded around him. "Yeah...Dominant Atlasian (Repossessed) Knight. DARK. Clever, huh? Course, I'm only using the basic wireframes of those idiotic robots. MY creation will be much better."

"Too bad, because we're stopping you right here, right now!" Strawberry shouted.

Weber Rust just grinned. "Ohhhhhhhh are you now?" He stood up out of his elaborate chair, hands in pockets, walking briskly to the front of the stage. "I'd...like...to...see...you...try!"

He then pulled out what looked like a silver handle with the White Fang symbol on it. He clicked the button on the hilt, and suddenly a green katan blade materialised out of the top of it.

"What is that?" Emin asked.

"Impossible..." Strawberry breathed. "Photon technology!?"

"Like it? Just a little self-defense toy. So then..." He held his Photon Sabre out, as the White Fang soldiers took aim. "Let's start this song and dance, shall we?

 **Team SEA Valentine's Day Cards**

 **Emin: I'm a little bit weird**

 **And a bit broken as well**

 **But with you by my side**

 **I know things will go swell!**

* * *

 **Strawberry: Let's go on a date**

 **Maybe watch a movie**

 **Because it's Valentine's Day**

 **And it's just you and me!**

* * *

 **Azure: So, yeah, I was told**

 **To write you a card**

 **But really I'm so lazy**

 **That I find even this hard.**

* * *

 **New chapter, people! So, yeah, in case you couldn't tell by now, Weber Rust is the main antagonist of Volume 2, just putting it out there for you.**

 **Did you hear? RoosterTeeth have announced a new mini series! RWBY: Chibi! Say what you will about what you think of it, but I actually really appreciate the fact that they're doing this. Let's face it, Volume 4 is a long wave coming, so this, along with the manga, outta keep us busy until then. Also, RWBY: Volume 1 is coming to theatres! Unfortunately, I am British, and would be unable to attend...FU-**

 **Moving on, we got a lot of questions for our characters last chapter, so let's start answering them now! First up, NewComer1's questions.**

 **To Me: How do you pronounce Team MDNT's name?**

 **It's pronounced 'Midnight', making you think of a midnight black or blue.**

 **To Emin: Do you have a crush on Velvet? If not, which girls do you like at Beacon? (Ruby, Yang, Blake, etc...)**

 **Emin: Huh? Velvet has been my friend since she first came to Beacon, and she is the only person I could really talk to...we're just close friends, okay? And I like a lot of girls at Beacon, Team RWBY, Pyrrha, Nora, they're all nice!**

 **To Azure: Are you lazy enough to go to the bathroom?**

 **Azure: Do you mean am I too lazy to go to the toilet, or am I so lazy I go do my business wherever I want? To answer both of your questions: one of the perks of having Gravity for a Semblance, is that you can float to the bathroom with no effort.**

 **To Strawberry: Where is your mom? I don't see her at all in this series, like literally!**

 **Strawberry: Ah...well, the thing is, my mum is very...antisocial, and a workaholic. Seriously, she just locks herself up in her room all day and messes around with her insects and lizards. I mean, it's like we're not related at all!**

 **Thank's for those Q's NC1! Let's move onto Dalastjedi's question.**

 **To Team SEA: So...Dark Grimm Entities...anything in the books about them? Will they make a resurgence? Will we see new types of Grimm?**

 **Emin: 'Dark Grimm Entities'? Wh-What are those? I-I've never heard of those before! Oh no, what if I start drawing them here!?**

 **Azure: Hey, Fiery eyeball, your freaking our to-be leader out. As far as I know, there's no such thing as 'Dark Grimm Entities'. Yeah, there are some big nasty Grimm out there, but I've never heard of anything like that.**

 **Strawberry: To answer your thirc question...unfortunately new species of Grimm keep surfacing everywhere all the time, so we're most likely to come across some new ones. It's very worrying, really.**

 **Thanks, team. Now, onto our last question from The WovenMantis.**

 **To Azure and Strawberry: What made you want to become guardians?**

 **Azure: Isn't that a bit personal? What led up to this was...not good.**

 **Strawberry: After Viola died, Emin didn't really have anyone else but us, and he already felt like a little brother to us, so we took up the responsibility...But sometimes...I don't know if I can do what Viola did...**

 **Azure: Strawberry...**

 **And that ends this chapter! If you have any more or new questions, be sure to send them and our heroes here will answer!**

 **[Skype Caller: Hi_Im_Shy]**

 **Velvet: H-Hello? Is this working?**

 **Emin: Velvet?**

 **Velvet: Oh! Emin! I didn't realise you were on here too!**

 **Ah! Good! We have another character for you to press questions to.**

 **Velvet: Wait, what? What's happening?**

 **Thank you so much for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed, reviews are always appreciated, and I shall see you all next chapter!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Sinking Metal

"Emin! Azure!" Strawberry yelled.

"Yep!" "On it!" The two of them replied as Team SEA charged forward together.

"Hey, you guys, can you, y'know, shoot them? Like I told you to?" Weber prompted them, causing them to open fire once again.

Emin teleported away in a flash of violet and blue, whilst Azure held out his hand and reversed the gravity, causing the bullets to slow down then freeze in midair, before clattering uselessly to the ground, at the same time Strawberry dropped to the floor and slid across the ground underneath the shots.

"Huh...didn't realise I hired blind soldiers." Weber grunted, holding his photon sabre out, as the blade grew to three times its length. "I'll do it myself!" He pulled back his arm and swung.

The blade was so long it went across the entire theatre, slicing the chairs in half and leaving a gash across the back wall. Thankfully, Azure had jumped over the attack with reduced gravity, and Strawberry had ducked underneath it.

"Seriously!?" Azure yelled.

"Incredible..." Strawberry breathed.

"Jealous, sweetie?" Weber smirked, but he was interrupted as Emin appeared above him, and his eyes widened at the sound, prompting him to swing his blade upward and block the clash from the shuriken, making Emin teleport away again as the White Fang soldiers shot where he previously was.

Azure launched a giant fireball from the end of Chaotic Order towards Weber, who clicked the button on his hilt, making the blade disappear, before he pointed it towards the attack and clicked the button again. The solid photon shot out and stabbed through the flames, before continuing on, forcing the guardian to jump away as the extending blade pierced the ground where he previously stood.

"It's so quick to materialise." Strawberry noted, giving the weapon an analytical look.

As Emin reappeared next to them, the White Fang Soldiers began firing again, making the Team jump back to avoid them.

Strawberry reached into one of her pouches and pulled out several seeds, which she chucked across the ground, sending them scattering across the floor and coming to a halt at the soldiers feet. She held her hands out as they glowed green, and instantly the seeds grew into large flowers with purple and red petals, which sprayed jade coloured pollen over them. Almost instantly they began gagging and collapsing, until only Weber remained.

"Oh, yeah. That's great. Beaten by flowers. Fantastic service, Torchwick!" Weber complained, just before blocking a shot with his sabre, fired by Strawberry's Requited Love in its pistol form as she ran towards him, before flicking it into its knife form and making it clash against Weber's own weapon.

"Ooh, your quite tough!" Weber stated as they swung at each other again, clashing once more. "For an airhead, that is."

"What did you say!?" Strawberry cried in offence, as she swung hard, clashing against the photon sabre, making Weber stumble back.

"It's obvious, really. I mean, look at all that gum stuck in your hair." Weber pointed.

Strawberry's eyes sharpened as she glanced at her pink hair. "It's a natural colour!" She switched the knife into a taser before firing the two prods, which Weber jumped back to dodge, the wires stabbing into the ground and releasing a blast of electricity that charred the floor, before they retreated back to the weapon.

Meanwhile, Emin had switched Eclipse Star into its lance form as Azure switched his staff to yellow Dust. "Strawberry!" Azure yelled.

Strawberry looked over to her teammates and nodded in understanding, before jumping off the stage to avoid another giant slash which tore across the wall. Suddenly, Weber gasped in pain and hunched over as gravity intensified around him. Emin's lance crackled as Azure launched the lightning bolt at it, and he disappeared before reappearing, rocketing towards the pressured opponent.

"MagicTrick!" Both Emin and Azure shouted as the latter stabbed Weber in the chest with his lance, making the inventor gasp in pain as he was launched back by a bolt of lightning, falling into his advanced chair which careened back and crashed into the wall along with its occupant.

Team SEA quickly regrouped as Emin waved his weapon around, shaking off the remaining static as they watched Weber Rust push his glasses back up onto his nose, as he gave a low chuckle.

"How about that. I underestimated you." He then sat down in the chair. "In that case, I think we should take it up a notch, don't you?"

Suddenly, the black connecting lines along the chair glowed a neon green, and the chair began to move. The right arm of the chair curved around the back to the left arm, where the two clamped together around Weber's limb and extended out, creating a a spear-like extension for a left arm. The back attached to his spine before metal plates extended out and covered his chest in armour, with a green White Fang emblem in the middle. The neck of the chair stuck to Weber's own, whilst the head formed a helmet around the back of his head and forehead, with a blue visor extending down in front of his eyes. The leg of the chair split up into two, with the two wheels bending back to attach to his sole, whilst the two legs clipped to the front of his legs and became boots as well.

"Woah, okay." Azure said.

"His chair turned into a suit of armour?" Emin asked uncertainly.

"Do you like it?" Weber smirked. "One of my favourite works of art, personally."

"It's impractical and unnecessary." Strawberry muttered with half-lidded eyes.

"How cold!" Weber mocked, before aiming his now armoured left arm at the Team, as green energy began to build on the end of it. "Try insulting my work after THIS!"

The trio jumped away as a green energy laser shot out of the arm cannon, obliterating the far end wall in a large explosion.

"That was really powerful!" Emin stated as steam jetted out of the arm cannon to cool off.

"I don't care what it does, we'll destroy it!" Strawberry declared.

"Obviously." Azure shrugged as the three of them readied their weapons.

"Such confidence! I'm gonna enjoy completely destroying it." Weber replied all too cheerfully as he wielded his photon sabre in his right hand.

Emin instantly teleported and swung with Eclipse Star, which Weber blocked with a backhanded slash from his photon sabre, before kicking the young boy away, then instantly getting flung into the ceiling as Azure changed the gravity around him, before forcefully smashing him back into the ground. He emerged unharmed though and extended his photon sabre, swinging it hard and fast, forcing Azure to block with his staff. Taking the chance, Strawberry returned her weapon to its whip form and and lashed it out, making it wrap around the cannon on Weber's left arm, which he instantly took notice of. Azure clenched his fist, and Weber was overcome with a sense of weightlessness, before Strawberry effortlessly threw him into the air using her whip, and began spinning him around, increasing in velocity.

"Hydrangea!" Both Azure and Strawberry shouted as Strawberry smashed Weber into the ground, with Azure drastically increasing the gravity, and thus, the damage dealt.

The group kept at a distance from the crater, cautious of any further attack, until a blast of green light shot out and exploded just before it hit the roof, making small energy blasts rapidly rain down, forcing Emin to hold up Eclipse Star and make it spin, to act like an umbrella against the deadly 'rain' so he could protect both himself and his guardians.

Weber Rust emerged from the crater, with only only some dents and a crack in his visor, before he swung his sabre in an entire 360 arc, making Strawberry push her teammates to the floor to prevent them from being cut in half, then instantly pulling them back to their feet afterwards.

Azure launched a torrent of water from his staff, which Weber sliced through, before launching another blast, but a portal opened up in front of Azure, diverting the blast into the wall instead. By now, the run-down theatre was in shambles, and the walls looked about ready to collapse.

Strawberry threw some seeds into the air, which sprouted into spiked acorns that plummeted down like boulders, making Weber extend his blade in order to slice through them all, leaving him open for Azure to convert his weapon into its bisento form and slash him in the side, sending the glasses-wearer staggering back. He went to hit Rust with the giant weight on the opposite end of his weapon, but the enemy smacked him across the face with his blaster hard, throwing the blue-haired magician to the ground.

"Azure!" Emin gasped, before changing his weapon into its claw form and jumping at Rust, grabbing him by the chest and pinning him to the wall, he grunted and struggled as he tried to aim his blaster, but it was too large to turn directly at the teen sticking him to the wall. The weapons expert reduced the sabre to nothing, before pointing the hilt towards Emin. The boy teleported away before the blade shot back out of the hilt, almost decapitating him. The spiritual leader appeared next to the actual leader, with the former pulling out a seed and giving it to the latter, who held it surprisingly delicately in his giant four-pronged claw, before using his Semblance to appear directly in front of Rust, who was actually prepared this time, and aimed his photon hilt at the young adult, ready to extend and impale him.

"MotherlyLove!" Emin and Strawberry yelled as the seed suddenly ballooned into a cactus, that Emin popped with his claws, launching a barrage of sharp needles. Weber instinctively crossed his arms to shield himself from the attack, but that just left him open to a devastating punch, sending the Gundam knock off skidding back. Weber growled before firing another laser which burst up into multiple shots again, aiming to fill the scarf-wearer with scorching holes. However, Emin vanished and Azure shot a giant rock from the end of his staff, which burst apart into stone shrapnel that exploded into the shots point for point, countering each other out in a vast array of explosions.

"Hehe...you...you guys are REALLY stubborn!" Rust slashed rapidly and quickly with his giant sabre, forcing the three of them to parry against the barrage of slashes with their respective weapons. "You shouldn't underestimate me! I am the pinnacle of weaponry expertise! I'm gonna change the world! If you think that you can stop me, your nothing but a team of delusional idio-!"

He was interrupted as giant thick vines burst out of the ground and wrapped around him binding his arms (and thus his weapons) to his body, as Strawberry's hands glowed green to keep them strong. Emin reverted his weapon back into its shuriken form and started spinning it, creating a small twister, whilst Azure imbued it with lightning, making Emin hold it above his head.

Weber actually showed fear at the impending attack. "W-Wait! Stop! I can help you! I'll provide you with all the weaponry you could ask for! I'll do anything!"

"Yeeeeeeeah, nope." Strawberry denied, obviously still annoyed at him, as Team SEA all yelled together:

"TIDALWAVE!"

Emin threw his sparking shuriken, which had practically doubled in size from the electricity, that stabbed straight into Weber, tearing through both the vines and his armour, before it pushed Rust back and smashed straight through the wall, launching Rust and his twisted, shredded chair armour far back across the granite ground, whilst Eclipse Star fell to the ground, still crackling.

"That was VERY satisfying." Strawberry nodded.

"Face it, it stopped being about Project DARK when he insulted you." Azure said, earning him an elbow in the side.

"Shut up." Strawberry pouted, making Azure grin coyly.

Emin meanwhile retrieved Eclipse Star. "Ouch! Ow!" The shuriken was hot in his hand, so he quickly returned it to its place on his back.

"You...little...argh..." Weber gasped in pain as he staggered to his feet. "You've ruined my armour, my blaster, and my favourite chair!"

"Well, obviously, it had multiple design flaws." Strawberry stated.

"D-Design flaws!?" Weber screamed in outrage. "Your insulting MY technological genius you moron!?"

"Moron!?" Azure and Emin shrank as Strawberry raged. "I solely designed and created the weapons that just smashed that toy of yours! I have more weapon skills in my pinky then you have in your entire body!"

"You pink-headed ditz!" Weber shouted as literal lightning clashed between their deadly gazes.

"Son of a-! Rust!" The gaze was broken as Roman Torchwick ran up to him. "We're busted, we're leaving right now and-" He stopped as he saw Team SEA. "Oh no, not you three as well! Why is the Catalyst here!?"

"The Catalyst!?" Rust immediately jumped to his feet. "Where!?"

"That kid! There!" Roman pointed at Emin.

"HIM!?" Rust yelled in anguish.

"Oh for fu-! Forget about that! We're leaving! Right now! Neo!...Neo!? Where is she!?" Roman looked around.

Emin suddenly felt someone next to him. He looked, only to jump back when he saw a woman with brown and pink hair with matching eyes, wearing a white suit and carrying a parasol. She gave off a disturbing, sly smile, and was leaning in dangerously close to him.

"Neo!" Roman yelled, making the woman roll her eyes. She gave Emin a wave before she strolled over to Roman and Weber.

"Your not going anywhere!" Strawberry lashed at them with her whip, but they shattered into pieces and vanished, like that of a mirage. "Wha-? A Semblance? Ugh! We finally found him and...arrrrgh, it's not fair!" She kicked the ground with a childish frown.

"Strawberry, it's okay, we found out whose behind this, that's something at least." Azure assured him.

"S'pose so..." Strawberry huffed.

"Where did they go!?" The trio looked over to see Team RWBY, wearing alternate clothing as well, run over and look around whilst Weiss spoke. "I swear I saw them go over he-"

They stopped as the two Teams looked at each other, leading to a long, awkward stare of silence.

"...Hey!" Strawberry finally spoke. "What are you girls doing here?"

"Nothing!" Weiss replied far too quickly, whilst sweating.

"What are you guys doing here?" Blake accused.

"Nothing!" Azure just as hurriedly replied.

"We were never here!" Ruby declared.

"Ditto!" Emin cried, before teleporting away, whilst Azure picked up Strawberry and jumped away, with Team RWBY resorting to just running.

 _RWBY_

The White Fang had relocated, admittedly much closer to Vale, in order to prepare for the next job. In one of the rooms, Weber Rust was seated on a black leather chair, furiously typing away as a holographic screen hovered in front of him.

"Infuriating little candyfloss!" He muttered angrily as he worked. "I'll show her...I'll show all of Remnant! You want a virus, Cinder? Have I got one for you!" A black chess piece appeared on the screen, and he clicked the send button, the chess piece on the screen being popped into an email before flying off the screen.

"While I'm at it, I'm gonna let Torchwick know that his soldiers are useless, whining little bas-!" He was interrupted by the sound of beeping from his Scroll. "Who now!?" He snatched up the Scroll to see who was intruding into his work time, only for a look of puzzlement to cross his face.

"Neo?" He looked through the text she sent, before his eyes widened. "What? Why on-? Why is she telling me!? I know I'm working with Cinder and Lilith but...cover!? Oh for the love of-!" He put his Scroll down and stood up. "Forget this, I need to relax..."

He walked over to the other end of the room, which had multiple searchlights hanging above it. Long, grey cables hung down from the ceiling, connecting to a giant mechanical device. It appeared to be a black exoskeleton of an Atlesian Knight, only much, much larger with multiple grey armour sticking to its shoulders, knees and back, with its forearms noticeably missing, and replaced by what looked like giant metal disks. Attached to the bottom of its back was multiple thick grey cables that connected into the wall at the back.

"Time to finish Project DARK." Weber Rust grinned.

 **Weapon Info**

 **Weber Rust's Stille Hvile is a Convertible Blaster Amour Chair, which disguises itself as a mechanical armchair, that can quickly convert into a suit of armour, that uses photon technology to fire concentrated blasts.**

 **A neeeeeeeew chapter! Yay! Sorry that this one is shorter then the usual chapters, but this one was really just a conclusion to these events. Next chapter though, we're focusing on the Beacon Dance! And didn't the fans love that?**

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE! I'm recommending a RWBY story! It's called Origins Of The Red Dragon by Razzarow! He's a really good friend of mine who's been off FF for a while, and I'm just glad he's back! It's an awesome story, and guess what? It follows the RWBY: Shadows canon! Team SEA gets some mentions in it! But at the same time, it tells its own awesome story, so check him out and give him some support! He really needs it at the moment.**

 **So now, we move onto the new set of questions for our protagonists! First ones come from NewComer1!**

 **To Emin: So, there is the dance party coming at your academy soon. Who would you want to bring for the date? (Nudge, nudge, wink wink..)**

 **Emin: I know who I'm gonna ask! But, um...she might be listening to this, so I guess I shouldn't say.**  
 **  
To Azure: One, did you break the record for sleeping the longest in the world? And two, if Pokemon was real, would you compete against Snorlax for the number 1 for being lazy or sleeping all the time?  
**

 **Azure: There's a record for sleeping the longest? Well, let's see if anybody can top that time I locked myself in a room and slept for an entire week! Also, what's a Snorlax? On a similar note, what's a Pokemon?**

 **To Strawberry: The dance party is coming soon. If you want Emin to take a female student to the date, would you support him or become jealous?**

 **Strawberry: Awwww, my little Emin is gonna get a date!? Well, of COURSE I'll support him! But I guess I'm kinda sad that I'll have to let him go on his own...**

 **To Velvet: Three questions for you please: One, if Bigfoot was real, would you want to take a picture of him or her or it? Two, would you like to take Emin to be your date for the upcoming dance party? Three, do you have feeling for Emin? Just saying...**

 **Velvet: Bigfoot? Well, yes, of course! Anything rare or beautiful like that is camera worthy! Oh, but, if he's camera shy, then I wouldn't...also, I think Bigfoot is a Faunus, I've heard stories like that. And...t-taking Emin as my...date? We're just friends! Besides, my Team is organising the event so...um...Emin's just a friend!**

 **Next question's from Dalastjedi!**

 **Question to the group chat as a whole: Would you consider to have a "Shoot first, ask questions later." attitude, or not?**

 **Azure: Obviously shoot first. Gets the job done nice and quick! Plus, villains have a tendency to monologue.**

 **Strawberry: You shouldn't just instantly shoot. Interrogation and analysis is important. If you just immediately kill someone, your losing possibly valuable information.**

 **Emin: Well...I think it depends. If someone you care about is in danger, you've got to act immediately otherwise...it could end badly...but at the same time, just attacking instantly can be much more damaging...especially if you have bad intentions.**

 **These final questions are solely to Emin, from Michaelis.**

 **Was wondering if you had any slight romantic feelings towards any of the female (or male...) characters in this story. Also, how was your childhood like?**

 **Emin: I wouldn't know about romantic, I'd ask Strawberry about that. But I really like a lot of girls! I like Velvet, Penny, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Pyyrha, Nora...but I know that some of them have romantic relationships! Like Jaune and Pyrrha! I mean, c'mon, it's pretty obvious.**

 **Emin:...Oh...you want to know...about my childhood?...Well...I...I...**

 **Azure: Hey, Hey, Emin, it's okay.**

 **Strawberry: Please don't ask about Emin's childhood. There are some things that shouldn't be brought up.**

 **Thank you all so much for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! And I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Wizard and the Wanderer 

Emin stood awkwardly in the center of the room, now back in his regular shirt, jacket, trousers and shoes, looking around as students from varying years stretched tape measures across all sides and corners, whilst others carried in boxes of streamers and balloons, and some were painting on a large banner that would inevitably be hung up above the stage.

The Beacon Dance...Emin had seen it every year that a tournament would be held, of course only watching from a distance, and taking a balloon or two when he was younger. Now though, since Team SEA was official and they were taking part in the Vytel Tournament, Strawberry had insisted that he had to attend, and it was obviously very daunting for him. His plan for the evening was to stand by the buffet and eat as much as possible, as discreetly as possible.

"Hey! Phillip Flood!" He jumped as someone yelled his nickname. "If your just gonna stand there, then can you do it somewhere else? We're busy here!"

"S-Sorry!" Emin hurriedly replied before teleporting down the corridor, halting in a flash of colour as Sun was in front of him.

"Woah! Emin! Where's the fire?" The monkey Faunus joked.

"Sorry, Sun!" Emin replied in a flustered manner.

"Don't worry about it." He waved it off with a grin, looking past the teen to the hall and whistling. "So that's where the dance is gonna be, huh?"

"Yeah, they're decorating...best not to disturb them." Emin pointed out.

"Right, right. You excited?" Sun asked.

"Well, Strawberry already picked out an outfit for me so...I guess?" He shrugged.

"She sure smothers you, huh? Nothing wrong with that though." He then wrapped an arm around Emin's shoulder. "But let me tell you, Emin. These are very rare instances in a persons life. This is one of those times when a boy..." He sweeped his arm across the space in front of them for emphasis. "Becomes a man."

Emin gave him a perplexed and worried look. "...Excuse me?"

"The date!" Sun proclaimed. "You can't go to a dance without a partner! You got anybody in mind? C'mon, you can tell me. Here, I'll say first; I asked Blake."

"Blake?" The purple head echoed.

"Yep! She, uh, turned me down but, I'm pretty confident." He nodded. "Right then! Your turn! No backsies!"

"Ummmmmm..." Emin sweated nervously, having been bombarded with so many questions, before shifting his gaze down towards the ground. "I...did have someone in mind...bu-"

"That's great!" Sun cut him off. "I'll tell you, Emin. Things can go better then you think when you have a partner with you. Speaking of which, I'd better get on that myself. I'll see you later, yeah?" Emin could only stutter incoherent noises as a goodbye whilst Sun ran off.

'He's so carefree and happy about this.' Emin thought nervously, before twiddling his thumbs. 'I was planning to ask Velvet so that we could just stand at the side together...but Team CFVY haven't returned from their mission yet.'

He looked at where Sun had previously been. 'Was what Sun said true? It's better when your with a partner? But then...what if I don't have a partner by the time the dance comes around!?' He began to panic. 'Oh no! I need to find a partner quickly!' He then teleported away to find someone.

 _RWBY_

Strawberry hummed a happy little tune to herself as she admired the sky blue tuxedo hanging off the wall. "Oh...my little Emin's big dance, he's growing up so fast! Everything has to go well, it just has too!"

She clasped her hands together tightly and closed her eyes. "One night...just for one night...please let him be happy."

A knock at the door made her jump. "Y-Yes?"

Azure opened the door and peeked in. "Knock-knock."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Remnant, Azure! Don't startle me like that!"

"Doesn't count if I knocked." Azure pointed out as he entered the room, obviously hiding something behind his back.

Strawberry placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "What have you got there?"

"I don't know WHAT your talking about." Azure shrugged, feigning ignorance.

Strawberry suddenly lept towards him and crashed into his torso, clawing at the air behind him, only for Azure to hold the object, which was revealed to be a black drape over a coat hanger, further away, anticipating the sudden action. "Not so fast, Grabby."

"Awwww, meanie!" Strawberry pouted. "Seriously though, what is it?"

"Something for you, actually." He said, presenting it to her. Strawberry gave him a sceptical look, which he returned with a smirk. Cautiously, she parted the black drape, only for her eyes to widen at what she saw.

"Azure..." She breathed.

"I figured you'd be so focused on getting us guys ready you wouldn't have time to think about yourself." He reasoned. "Sorry if you don't like it, I just wanted to-"

"No, no, no!" Strawberry replied, before quickly calming herself. "Thank you, Azure. It's lovely." She carefully took the drape and hung it next to the tuxedo.

"And uh, that leads onto my next point." He chuckled nervously, as she turned towards him. "I know I'm not the best choice, not much for parties myself, but, uh...if you want to...would you, maybe, want to-"

Strawberry silenced him by placing a hand over his mouth and smiling. "I think you've convinced me. So please do me a favour, and ask properly, okay?"

Azure nodded and cleared his throat. "Strawberry Peach, will you go to the dance with me?"

Strawberry blushed slightly. "Azure Ray, I would be honoured."

 _RWBY_

Emin halted and peeked round the corner of a door, looking in to see Weiss and Ruby, with the latter showing off some dresses, whilst the former was sprawled out across the table with a mopey look. Craning his neck, he could also see Yang walking around next to them.

'Hey, there's Ruby, Weiss and Yang. Maybe I should ask one of them.' Emin thought, but he stopped himself before walking in. 'Hold on...what would that be like?' A little thought bubble appeared over his head, as various situations played out in his mind.

 _"Sorry, Emin! I'm so bubbly and kindhearted, I've already been asked!"_ A chibi Ruby told a chibi Emin, who had a depressed aura over him.

 _"Sorry, Emin. I'm so smart and polite, I've already been asked."_ Chibi Weiss told Chibi Emin.

 _"Sorry, Emin! I'm so brave and happy-go-lucky, I've already asked someone!"_ Chibi Yang declared.

"They make excellent points..." The real Emin admitted of his imaginary friends. "I don't want to disturb them. I'll try someone else!"

He began teleporting around again, only to end up back in the dorm corridor, with his hands on his knees. "Ohhh...I teleported too much..." He leaned against the wall, before noticing that he was next to Team JNPR's dorm. "Maybe I should ask Pyrrha or Nora..."

Once again, a thought bubble popped into existence over his head. This time though, it showed a little Jaune and Pyrrha kissing with hearts over their heads, whilst little Ren was being hugged to death by little Nora.

"Fair point." Emin agreed with his own thoughts. "They really should kiss already. But...who does that leave?"

He briefly thought of Team CRDL. "No, I'm not that desperate."

He then thought of this one other team with two girls in it...Kari and Mabel? "No, it would be weird to ask someone I've never introduced myself to..."

"Oh! I know!" He then ran off down the hall to see if he could find the group he seeked.

He skidded across the halls and looked down one, to indeed see them looking around. "Hey! Heyyyy!"

Team MDNT turned towards him. "Well, hey there, Emin." Titian waved.

"Hey." Oli waved nonchalantly.

"Hello..." Nhema waved lightly.

"It's very nice to see you again." Bruno greeted him more energetically. "Were you looking for us? We were just having a wander around Beacon to get our bearings and-"

"Yeahyeahyeah, we're walking, Bruno." Titian interrupted him, causing the deer Faunus to shoot him a look. "Didja need me for something, Emin?"

"Don't you mean us?" Nhema asked, actually rather calmly.

"Well...um..." Now that he actually had to ask it, his tongue was tying itself in knots.

"No need to be shy, we'd be happy to help." Bruno encouraged, making Oli roll her eyes.

"Okay...Oli...or Nhema, whichever, I mean!...Will one of you please go to the dance with me? Maybe?" He stammered.

"No way." Oli flat-out rejected, making the jacket wearer fall back from the bluntness.

"Oli!" Bruno gasped.

"I hate stuff like parties, too many people around." She muttered. "Plus, I've had my fill of celebrations after that last one, it's all just annoying, troublesome and unnecessary in the end."

"But you could have phrased it a bit nicer!" Bruno cried.

"I have to agree with Oli on this..." Nhema mumbled. "I'd rather not make a fuss again..."

"What!?" Titian gaped. "Geez, Maggie! It's just a dance! Have a little fun once in a while! Do you know how many people are gonna be there!? I wanna show off my sick dance moves!"

"Too bad, and stop calling me that!" She snapped. "Don't get me wrong, it's nothing against you, Emin. I actually kinda like you. But you know that's not my thing, right?"

"I...I guess so..." Emin breathed, rubbing his arm nervously.

"If it was anything else..." Nhema began, then stopped herself.

"Yes, uh...really sorry, Emin." Bruno added.

"It's okay, I promise." He nodded. "I'd better get going..." And with that he teleported away.

Titian groaned. "Your not only a spoilsport, your a heartbreaker too!"

"Oh, shut up, glory hog!" She yelled.

"Glory hog!?" Titian gasped in offense, before they started arguing again.

"One normal, peaceful day! Is that too much to ask!?" Bruno begged as he pried them apart.

 _RWBY_

As a defeated Emin plodded down the corridor, someone watched him from the other hallway. Her green eyes flashed a mix of colours, and her black hair fell either side of her head in two pigtails. She made to move towards him, only for a hand to grab her by the shoulder and pull her back.

"Hiya, Nora!" An all too happy voice greeted her. She turned around to be faced with the beaming smile of Lilith Angres. "What brings you to Beacon? I thought Cinder told you to stay with Torchwick and Rust!"

Neo smirked as she pulled out her Scroll and typed something in before showing it to her: 'I was curious.'

"How cute." Lilith continued to give her a sickeningly sweet smile. "But you MUST know that I'M the one who called dibs on the Catalyst, right? Right? And it's not very good of you to leave your position like this!"

Neo didn't seem fazed, and typed out a new message: 'Can't we share him?'

"Nope!" Lilith replied all too cheerfully. "Mine! Besides..." He smile suddenly turned dark, and a horrible look flashed in her eyes. "I haven't had any fun with him yet...I want to see what he can do."

Neo shrugged, then typed one last message: 'Spoilsport. Let me know when it's my turn.' She then turned and casually walked off.

"My, my, she was awfully chatty." Lilith grinned evilly. "Everybody wants a piece of you, huh, Catalyst? Lucky boy."

 _RWBY_

Emin continued walking in his saddened state. 'It's no good...I'll never find somebody to go to the dance with...' He sighed. 'Maybe it's for the best...who would want to go with a pathetic idiot like me?'

He only noticed he was passing the library when a ray of light hit his eyes and he had to shield his sight with his hand. Curious, he looked in, and saw the light was from a reading lamp, with somebody familiar seated next to it.

"Claire?" Emin walked in.

Claire Noire looked up from the red velvet book she was reading. "Oh! Emin! I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you were there. It's a terrible habit of mine, can never pay attention to anything else when I'm reading."

"That's alright, I'm sorry for disturbing you." Emin said, shuffling on the spot.

Claire stared at him for a moment, before putting the book down. "What's wrong, Emin?"

"Huh? Nothing's wrong." Emin replied.

Claire smiled softly. "Both you and I know that isn't true. I can see it in your eyes. Please, tell me what's wrong. Sometimes it's good to get things off of your chest."

Emin looked away awkwardly, half amazed and half scared of her keen instinct. "Well...the Beacon Dance is coming up...and I don't really have anybody to go with. And I was thinking that...it would be best if I just went alone."

Claire continued to smile at him. "Emin...I think that's perfectly natural. We all feel like that sometimes. But, if you want my opinion, I don't think it would be best if you went alone." She then glanced down at the book she was reading. "...This may sound a bit odd to ask, but do you like fairy tales?"

"I did read a lot of fairy tales when I was younger...and I guess I still like them." Emin figured.

Claire pulled a chair up. "Here, let me read this one to you. It's one of my favourites." Hesitantly, Emin sat down as she began to read. "It's called 'The Wizard and the Wanderer.'"

 _Once upon a time, a wanderer was walking down a path, fresh green grass lining the way, with a golden sun shining behind him, and a faint, cooling breeze guiding him on his way._

 _Just then, the wanderer came across an old wizard sitting in the shade of a tree. Cheerily, he went over and greeted the wizard: 'Hello, good sir! 'Tis a fine day, is it not?'_

 _The old wizard took notice of him, and nodded before speaking: 'Indeed it is, young man. The grass gives off a fresh and pleasant scent, the wind blows softly to guide our ever stretching paths, and the sun gives off light and warmth to bless our days of continuing to move forward.'_

 _The wanderer frowned: 'But good sir, if you have such wonderful things to say, why is your voice filled with such sadness?'_

 _The old wizard sighed: 'I am old, young man. My body has begun to lose its will, and every day I find it harder and harder to continue walking. I wanted to travel the world, I wanted to see all of the amazing and beautiful sights that this glorious existence in which I live holds and shares. Alas, I have left it far too late, and now my strength has left me, unable to do all that I so wished to do.'_

 _The wanderer looked at the man sadly. 'Good sir...I was not aware, please forgive me. For one who holds the world and all its magnificence in such high regards, it pains me to hear you say such things.'_

 _The old wizard nodded. 'I am sorry to have stolen your spirit, young man. I have taken up too much of your own time. Please, continue on your way.'_

 _The wanderer looked at the old wizard for a second, before making his decision. 'Very well, good sir. I shall continue on my way. However, you shall be coming with me!' He then proceeded to hoist the hold wizard onto his back._

 _'Wh-What are you doing?' Gasped the old wizard._

 _'If your body will not allow you to see everything that you wish, then I shall gladly carry you instead!' The wanderer replied._

 _And so, the wanderer and the wizard began travelling together. They scaled the highest of mountains, they traversed the most vast of seas, and they journeyed through the darkest of forests. They saw meadows of brilliant flowers, peaks of pure snow, and the most gorgeous of creatures. Soon, they had travelled across all the land, and had returned to the tree where they had first met, as the sun began to set._

 _'I believe my time is coming to an end, dear friend.' The old wizard told the wanderer. 'I have far too much to thank you for all you have done.'_

 _'Dear friend, no apology is needed.' The wanderer told the old wizard. 'It has been an honour and a privilege to know you. Yet now, knowing that you will soon no longer be by my side, I believe I feel the same sorrow you once felt under this tree.'_

 _'Please don't.' The old wizard said. 'You have been an amazing companion, dear friend, and I know now without a doubt, that I can leave this world happy, and that is nothing to be sad over.'_

 _The old wizard held the wanderers hand. 'I decided this...a long time ago.' Using the last of his strength, the old wizard gave all of his magic to the wanderer. 'I give this gift to you, dear friend...so that you will always know...that I am forever by your side...thank you...' The old wizard drew his last breath, and a soft smile spread across his lips, as he fell into eternal sleep._

 _It is not known what happened to the wanderer after that. Some say he vanished. Others say that he found love, and had a child which he would later bestow his dear friends gift to, down his line of heritage. One thing is for certain, though. He was known across the land, as a kind, happy man._

Claire closed the book with a faint sigh and smile. "I never get tired of that story."

"I've never heard it before." Emin admitted, being quite well-versed in fairy tales. "What's the moral?"

Claire smiled. "The moral is, that people who are kind, will recieve kindness in return. And I believe, that definitely applies to you, Emin. Your like the old wizard, you don't deserve to be alone at the Dance."

Emin looked down sheepishly. "Do...you really think so?"

"I do." She nodded, before giggling slightly. "I would actually ask you myself, but, I think you can find someone a bit younger then me."

"Well, you should go with someone as well, then." Emin reasoned.

"I'll be fine." She assured him. "Believe me, Emin...you'll find someone. Don't give up, okay?"

He nodded. "I won't. Thank you, Claire."

"My pleasure." She smiled, before returning to her book. "Life sure is filled with excitement."

Filled with new determination, Emin stood up and walked out of the library. 'Claire is right! I can find someone to go to the Dance with! I just have to believe it!'

"Salutations, Emin!"

"Aaahhh!" Emin jumped in fright. "P-Penny?" He forced himself into a calm state as he saw the ginger-haired girl, then the two Atlas soldiers behind her. "Oh! Uh, Chrome!"

"Yeah, we know." One soldier reassured him.

"Penny wanted to talk to you herself. Vice-General Colress allowed it." The other soldier said.

"Y-You wanted to talk to me, Penny?" Emin said.

"Yep!" She nodded cheerfully. "The Beacon Dance is coming up soon, right?"

"It is." He nodded dumbly.

"Well, I really wanted to go, and, I told everyone about it, and they said I could, as long as I didn't get found out, so..." She beamed at him. "Will you go to the dance with me, Emin?"

Emin's eyes widened into saucepan size. 'She's asking ME!? She wants to go to the dance with ME!?'

"Yes!" Emin replied quickly. "I would love to, Penny!"

"Really!?" She smiled. "Thank you, Emin! We'll meet up on the night, okay?"

"Yes! Sounds great! I'll do that!" Emin sweated in excitement.

"See you there, then!" She waved, before happily skipping off.

The soldiers then bore down on him. "We're gonna be keeping an eye on Penny on the night, so don't try anything funny, got it?"

"No sirs!" Emin saluted as if he was talking to Penny's parents, before they followed after her. He let out a big sigh as the information slowly sunk in. He actually had someone to go with! And they asked HIM!

"Guess that makes me the wizard." He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

* * *

 **RWBY Shadows Chibi: Emin Goes Fishing**

 **Chibi Emin strolls happily along with a fishing pole slung over his shoulder and a bucket clutched in his hand. He reaches the river and sets the bucket down before tossing the lure in, and sitting sown with a happy smile on his face.**

 **Soon though, the sun begins to set, and Chibi Emin is beginning to fall asleep. Just then though, a sharp tug on his line makes him wake up, and he starts furiously reeling in the catch which evidently fights back as Chibi Emin digs in his heels and puffs out his cheeks as he tries to pull the catch in. He falls onto his back as it explodes out of the water, and he looks up to see that it is only a tiny pink fish.**

 **Saddened, Chibi Emin puts the fish in the bucket, and ponders for a second, before a lightbulb appears over his head. He opens up a portal next to him, only for a torrent of river water and multicoloured fish to blow him back, before the portal closed again. Chibi Emin then plods over next to the bucket, dripping wet, with several fish hanging off of him, and a red starfish stuck to his face.**

* * *

 **New chapter! And yeah, it's a calm, nice little chapter, nothing much happening here (except some potential Shippings). And yeah, I kinda did my own little Chibi short, felt like it, y'know? Plus, they're just so adorable!**

 ***Ahem* Anyway, I know the real reason you guys read these A/N's, so let's just get straight into our heroes answering some questions, shall we?**

 **We'll take our first one from Dalastjedi, to all our current characters. What's your favourite ice cream flavour?**

 **Emin: I like caramel, especially with those little fudge cubes in it.**

 **Velvet: I-I'm fine with just vanilla, really.**

 **Azure: More of a mint man myself.**

 **Strawberry: Heh, I think it's pretty obvious, don't you?...Chocolate!**

 **Next question is from Michaelis, first to Azure: Yo Azure, since you're so lazy is it a bother sometimes to carry around that heavy weapon? Also, how big is your aura reserves if you constantly use your semblance to use your weapon in battle?**

 **Azure: Heavy? Pfft. With my Semblance it's like I'm holding a feather. Honestly though, my Aura 'reserves' are average. I just use my Semblance A LOT, so I just kinda got used to it over time, and now I just use up very little Aura.**

 **His second question is to Team SEA: Here's a trivial question; if you were to choose a starter pokemon for the first time (from any of the regions) who'd it be and why? Also tell Emin I'm sorry about that question earlier.**

 **Wait! Hold on! (Quickly writes in Pokemon knowledge) Okay, go!**

 **Strawberry: It's alright, it's just a very...delicate subject for all of us. To answer your first question though, Chikorita! It's so CUTE!**

 **Azure: Personally, I'd go with Torchic. Mega Blaziken, pal! Also, to that other guys question...yeah. I COULD outsleep a Snorlax!**

 **Emin: Um...I...I'd choose Popplio. I think it looks really nice and fun...not many people seem to like it, and I think that's kind of sad, but I know it could become a great Pokemon!**

 **And now for NC1's Questions. First up, to Emin: Since you guys have Skype in your world, do you guys also have access to a website called Fanfiction dot net on your world's Internet? If you do, I recommend you to read OPFan37's "Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-VOC". It is really awesome, and it is basically like the card game, Remnant except with different rules! I am sure you'll like it.**

 **Also, are you taking "her" to the dance party? One with a name that starts with "P" and ends with "y", and it kind of rhyme with Jenny.**

 **Emin: We do have a website called that. But all I can find is M-Rated stories of Beowolves.**

 **Strawberry: Avert your eyes, Emin! Your too sweet and innocent to be reading that!**

 **Emin: And um...I guess she's taking me.**

 **Strawberry: Wait, who? Tell me, Emin!**

 **Next one from NC1 is to Azure:** **Since you can control gravity, is it possible that you can create a black hole?**

 **Azure:...Well...I guess I CAN...if I try hard enough...too much effort, though.**

 **Now to Velvet: Oooohh surree, you think Emin is your friend. Speaking about friend, does your teammate, Fox says anything at all? What does Fox say, anyway if he can speak?**

 **Velvet: Wh-What does THAT mean!? I-I mean! A-Anyway...Fox doesn't speak very often, but when he does its usually in battle, just commands and cries and stuff like that.**

 **And finally, to me: Would there be more characters to appear for asking questions to them? I already have some questions to ask to Team RWBY.**

 **Well I don't know. Just...wait...for...a...moment...**

 **[Skype Caller: RlyRlyKoolKid]**

 **[Skype Caller: Fireballin17]**

 **Ruby: Are you sure this is the thing Emin was on, Yang?**

 **Yang: Course I'm sure! Look! His names here! Hey, Emin!**

 **Emin: Ruby? Yang? Your here too?**

 **Ruby: We wanted to see what you were doing! It looked cool!**

 **Emin: It's...really just us answering questions.**

 **Ruby: People are asking YOU questions? Wow! Can I join?**

 **Emin: Um...okay?**

 **Yang: Then I'm in too! You take her, take me too, sister pairing rule. Let's answer some questions!**

 **So there you have it folks! If you have anymore questions, leave them in a PM or a review! And I shall see you all in the next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Dance Dance Revelations 

The night of the Beacon Dance had finally arrived. Students from all schools of Vale had dressed in their smartest and were making their way towards the elaborately decorated hall, filled with tables of refreshments, streamers hanging from the ceiling, and lights shining from above as music played in the background. Meanwhile, in the Beacon dormitories, Team SEA were also preparing themselves for the event.

'Don't worry, it's just a dance, it'll be fine.' Emin thought to himself as he straightened out the suit Strawberry had given him. He was now wearing a crisp, sky blue open tuxedo over a black button up shirt, both with thin arms as the black shirts wrists overlapoed the blue suits. He also wore matching sky blue slacks, and thin, neatly polished black lace-up shoes in a crisscross style.

'...I really hope I don't screw something up!' He still thought despite his attempts to be positive. 'So many people are going to be there...no, no, you HAVE to do this! For everyone else!' He nodded to himself, then grabbed a white bow tie and did it up around his neck, something Strawberry had taught him, before walking out of the room.

"EEEEEEEEK!" He immediately felt himself get hugged by Strawberry. "You. Are. Perfect! Oh, Emin, you look sooooo handsome!"

"Th-Thanks, Strawberry." Emin blushed furiously.

"Aw, look, you went and got him all embarrassed." Azure chuckled.

Strawberry was wearing a hot pink dress that reached down to her ankles, and had straps across her shoulders, with white pearls arranged into a flower on the chest, and trailing down like a silver thread across the legs of the dress. Underneath this she seemed to wear a partially transparent cream dress as evidenced by it gracefully covering her arms with wide, flowing wrists. She also wore white diamond earrings and matching high heels, but no makeup, not her style.

On the other hand, Azure was wearing a bright orange open long sleeve jacket with the wrists folded back, over a short sleeved green button-up shirt (black buttons) with the collar folded up neatly, and a white clip-on tie. He also had on matching orange trousers, dark brown tap shoes, and a golden chain pinned to the left breast of his jacket hooking under to the left breast pocket of his green shirt, as if he was wearing a pocketwatch.

"I don't care!" She declared giddily. "You, are gonna have a great time tonight. You're going with Penny, right? Well, we'll keep our distance, leave you two alone, but we'll be around if you need us, make sure to stand up straight, smile, but also relax and-"

"Strawberry." Azure laughed. "You're sending mixed messages when he only really needs one; have fun."

She nodded. "Of course." Both Emin and Strawberry smiled sweetly. "Have fun."

The team of three went down to the hall together, passing by others all fancily dressed along the way, until they entered the dance hall, which was already packed with people. Standing behind the reception both was someone Emin did not expect.

"Yang?" He asked as they approached her, not entirely sure it was her, seeing as she was wearing a dress. Still, it looked nice on her.

"Hey Emin, Strawberry, Azure." The blonde greeted them heartily. "Don't worry, I got you guys down."

"What are you doing here, though?" Emin asked.

She shrugged. "Ah, well, dances aren't really my thing, so I thought I'd just help out."

'She's clearly lying.' Emin blatantly thought. 'Was she not able to find somebody to go with? I feel bad for not asking her now...'

"Hey, don't worry!" She gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "I'm fine! You guys go enjoy yourselves."

"Cheers, Yang." Azure confirmed as they all walked past her.

Taking the chance, Emin observed the room, trying to pick out specific individuals. He managed to catch members of Team JNPR scattered around, and also saw Ruby off to the sides, all wearing fancy attire for the event. 'Wow, everybody dressed up really nice, I hope I look presentable...'

It was then he noticed Penny waving to him, wearing a white dress and flanked by two Atlas soldiers.

"I believe that's your date." Azure nodded. "Go get her."

"Check to see if the punch is spiked before you drink it!" Strawberry hastily warned him before being pulled away by her own date.

Emin sweated slightly before taking a deep breath to prepare himself and casually strolled over to Penny, only for the soldiers to both turn and glare at him, making the spiritual leader shrink under their gaze.

"Salutations, Emin!" Penny greeted him cheerfully nonetheless. "You look beautiful in that!"

"Oh, uh, um, thank you." Emin stammered, straightening his bowtie.

"I think you meant 'handsome'." One of the soldiers whispered to her, making the other one elbow him.

"Right! Handsome!" Penny corrected herself.

"You look, beautiful, too!" Emin hurriedly complimented her back.

"Thank you! Everybody picked it out for me!" She told him, making Emin wonder who 'everybody' was.

Whilst the two of them talked, Strawberry watched from afar with a big smile on her face. "It's so perfect! Oh, how wonderful!"

"Seriously, stop it, you're acting like a stalker." Azure said as he handed her a drink. "He's FINE. He's talking to a girl, what more could you ask of him?"

Strawberry sighed. "I know, I know. I guess I'm holding onto the thought of little Emin." She drank from her cup with a sad look. "I just missed that version of him so much, I'd like to se him again."

Azure rested a hand on her shoulder. "Strawberry, you've done a fantastic job, nobody could ask more of you. But this is the end goal, remember? Be proud of him."

She nodded. "I am. I really, really am."

"C'moooon, where's the smiley Strawberry?" Azure laughed, grabbing her wrist. "Let's have a dance, before I fall asleep."

Strawberry couldn't help but laugh. "If you insist. It's very rare, after all."

"Heeeey." Azure winced before pulling Strawberry onto the dance floor.

At that moment, Mercury, Emerald and Lilith entered the room, also dressed in formal attire. Mercury wore a grey tuxedo, Emerald wore a green dress, and Lilith wore a black sleeveless dress with a wide skirt that reached her knees, and matching black pointed shoes.

"You guys are just in time!" Yang beamed.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Mercury smirked.

The three of them walked up to the second floor, or tier, and looked down over everybody else. Lilith immediately noticed Emin talking to Penny. "There you are." She made to move, but Mercury instantly stopped her.

"We're here to just watch, remember?" He reminded her. "Besides, we don't want to crash the party."

"You are such a spoilsport." Lilith huffed. "I was the one assigned to him."

"Good for you. Too bad you can't go and do anything stupid like you always do." Emerald told her, making her shoot death glares at her.

Azure had separated from Strawberry to get some punch, noticing the couples and individual dancers enjoying themselves. He almost didn't notice Ozpin walk over next to him.

"Do you remember your dance?" Ozpin asked.

"Of course." Azure smiled. "Gotta admit, it loses its lustre after a while. Don't know how you can still attend these things."

"Because I get to see a different side to the students I'm watching over." Ozpin told him. "It's always a fascinating experience."

Azure chuckled, before taking a drink. "I just know that it belongs to this generation of Hunters and Huntresses, that's all I'm thankful for." He then swirled what remained of his drink around. "Thank you for letting Emin attend, Ozpin."

"He was always welcome." Ozpin told him. "He is as much a student as everybody else here, even if he doesn't feel so."

Azure chuckled bitterly. "Can't be helped, right?" He drank the last of his drink and leaned back s the two of them stood side by side.

Emin noticed that Penny as beginning to bounce on her heels whilst looking at everybody dancing. "Are you okay, Penny?"

"Emin, do you want to dance?" She asked, making his eyes widen from the bluntness of her question.

"Oh! Well..." He looked at the two Atlas soldiers, who just continued to glare at him. "I'm, um...not very good."

"Really? Don't worry!" She assured him. "We can dance together!"

"O-Oh no, I meant..." He continued to mumble nervously. "I-I've..."

They ere interrupted as laughing began to fill the room. The two of them turned to see a certain someone wearing a white dress with a blue ribbon.

"Is that...Jaune!?" Emin gasped.

"Wow! He looks great!" Penny admired.

Everybody turned to watch as Team JNPR began to perform a synchronized dance together, stealing the dance floor.

"...Okay, that's a thing." Azure noted.

"That is so adorable!" Strawberry complimented, her eyes sparkling. "Why didn't I think of something like that?"

"I wonder why Jaune is wearing a dress?" Emin thought aloud. "Still, they are really good." Penny just marvelled them with giant eyes.

"Emin! We HAVE to dance too!" Penny decided.

"R-Really!?" Emin panicked.

"Let's go!" Penny pushed him onto the dance floor, making him tense up, stiff as a board amongst the group of slow dancers spurned on by Team JNPR's performance. Penny on the other hand, was happily beginning to dance the robot, ironically, given her secret. "Go, Emin! You can do it!" She encouraged whilst her arm hung limp and swung side to side.

"P-P-Penny..." Emin stammered. "I-I-I've never danced before!"

"Huh? Never?" She asked, still dancing.

"Never!" He repeated. "I don't know what to do!"

"Hmmmm..." She thought. "Why don't you just copy me, then you'' get it!"

"Okay!" Emin hurriedly agreed, before studying Penny's robot dance and beginning to move to match her. "Like this?"

"Kinda more like this." Penny demonstrated.

Emin adjusted his movements accordingly, making his limbs as stiff as possible and moving in the jerky fashion he saw Penny do. "Is this alright?"

"Amazing! You're dance ready!" Penny agreed, as the tow of them danced the robot together.

"Hey, nice moves, you two" Yang chuckled, whilst talking next to Ruby.

"Even Emin managed to find a partner." Ruby sighed, standing next to her sister. "I think I need some snacks." She then slumped off towards the exit.

"Huh? Ruby!" Yang pouted, seeing her sibling leave.

Emin and Penny continued dancing together, and as they did, Emin's moves slowly but surely began to become less stiff and had a flow to them s he weaved his arms, and began to move his legs as well.

'This isn't so hard, it's kinda like training, you move in time with your instincts.' He began to move much more erratically and bouncing up and down on his knees, spinning around and jumping back and forth.

"Yeah! Go, Emin!" Jaune cheered, still wearing the dress.

Emin had unintentionally moved to the middle of the dance floor, and began to jump around and spin on his heels, before falling to the ground, doing the worm, and rising back up.

"That Catalyst sure knows how to make an impression." Mercury observed.

"Uh, Mercury?" Emerald tapped him on the shoulder, indicating that Lilith had slipped away.

"Oh for the love of..." Mercury groaned as they looked over the area.

Emin had finally stopped in a pose, causing everybody around him to clap. It was then that he realised he was the centre of attention and curled into himself. 'Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohno, why did everybody start looking at me!? This is bad! So bad!'

"Congratulations, Emin!" Penny smiled. "You danced excellently!"

"Awesome job!" Nora said, slapping his back.

"I didn't think you were the dancing kind of guy, Emin." Blake added.

"I-I-I-I.." Emin stammered, swallowing nothing. "Thanks...I didn't think so either."

At that moment, in the crowd, Lilith Angres smirked as she approached the small group. "Just a little chat, that's all I want with you...after so long..." She was so close, she could reach out an arm and touch him.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her by the shoulder. Lilith looked and saw Strawberry Peach giving her a harsh look.

"We need to talk." Strawberry told her firmly.

"...Whatever you want, sweetie." Lilith agreed, though still looking a bit irked as she was dragged away.

"Ugh..." Mercury grunted as she saw their teammate get dragged onto the balcony. "Idiot."

"Leave her, she can do what she wants." Emerald sighed at the redheads nature, watching as the dancing resumed, as Emin retreated to the side to dance with Penny and his friends more discreetly, now a more difficult task with Jaune next to them.

On the balcony, Strawberry and Lilith were leaning over the edge, side by side. From a distance, it was if they ere having a friendly conversation. The reality couldn't be further fro the truth.

"I'm not an idiot." Strawberry started her interrogation. 2I knew there was something wrong with you the moment I saw you."

"That's not a very nice thing to say y'know." Lilith told her.

"So, I began researching you." Strawberry continued. "Any actual information was scarce and hard to find, I imagine you had something to do with that, but the rumours surrounding you are very interesting."

"You researched me? You flatter me, darling." Lilith spoke mockingly. "Pray tell, then, what did you find?"

Strawberry gave her a harsh look. "I heard that you were a doctor in Atlas, but you were fired for being unnecessarily brutal in your methods, and taking satisfaction in killing the weakened, whilst having a terrible track record of lives saved. They even tried to get you into interrogation, but you were too cruel even for that."

"Keep going." Lilith prompted, keeping a sweet smile on her face.

"I also heard you went into some kind of black dealership in a different kingdom." Strawberry went on. "As far as the 'stories' go, you held a particular interest in Grimm. You wanted to dissect them, you ran out into battlefields and slaughtered everything that moved, human or Grimm, and killed countless for the pursuit of some sick knowledge. How IS your Grimm anatomy research going?"

"No idea what you're talking about." Lilith replied all too cheerfully.

Strawberry clenched her left hand into a fist. "But there is one thing I absolutely know, before all that. At one point..." She shot her a look. "You were a student at Beacon!"

Lilith gave her a small smile. "And how do you know that?"

"Because I saw you." Strawberry spoke harshly. "Back when I was a student...I knew I had seen you somewhere before. Walking down the corridors, attending classes..." She unclenched her fist. "You were in the crowd when she died..."

Strawberry gave her a death glare. "I don't know how you managed to get a part in the Vytal Festival, or why you are here. But if I catch you anywhere near Emin, Azure, or anybody else I care about, I will personally make you suffer as much as your countless victims.

A strong air of tension hung between the two, juxtaposed with the sounds of the party behind them.

But then, Lilith burst out laughing. "Those are some fascinating rumours you have. But that's all they are; rumours. Sorry to disappoint." She then spun on her heel and began walking back towards the party, much to Strawberry's disbelief.

At the last second before entering, Lilith looked over her shoulder with a sweet grin. "Enjoy the party, Strawberry." She then strolled in, leaving the pinkette to glare at her back.

 _RWBY_

The party continued on late into the night. But eventually, the drinks ran dry, the music died down, and everybody was now leaving.

"Thank you so much, Emin!" Penny beamed as she stood near the doorway with the two Atlas soldiers. "I really enjoyed spending the night with you!"

"Me too, Penny." Emin smiled back. "And, thank you for teaching me how to dance."

"No problem! Let me know if you need help with anything else!" Penny nodded, when the first Atlas soldier tapped her shoulder. "I gotta go now, but I'll see you soon, right?"

"Of course." Emin agreed as the first soldier escorted her down the hallway.

"Hey." Emin froze as the second soldier spoke to him. "...Thanks for going with her tonight. It looks like she really enjoyed herself." He then walked away, leaving Emin to breath a sigh of relief.

"That scared me..." He admitted. "Still though, I don't think I'm done yet." He turned around and saw the state the room was in. "I'd better tidy up in time for morning." He quickly teleported to the closet to grab a brush, then set to work on taking down the decorations.

Azure and Strawberry stood outside the door. "Geez, that's a lot of bad stuff..." Azure spoke.

"Lilith Angres...what exactly is her goal here?" Strawberry wondered.

"We should tell Ozpin about this." Azure stated.

"No, even if we did, we'd likely face opposition from the rest of her team, and the last thing we want at the minute is a conflict." Strawberry stopped him. "For now, we should keep an eye on the group, and if anything dangerous arises, then we tell the others."

"Fine by me." Azure went along with it. "That's a real downer, sure, but the party still went well."

"Yes. Incredibly well." Strawberry agreed as they both looked in at Emin, who was dancing along as he took down the decorations.

 _RWBY_

Lilith Angres walked out of the Communications Tower, holding a letter in her hand.

"Thank you, Weber." She spoke to herself as she opened it up, and carefully pulled two objects out.

The first was a black cylinder, no bigger then a bullet, with a faint red light glowing on one side. The other was a small black Scroll, which depicted a vertical gauge which was titled 'INTENSITY'.

Lilith gave a dark smirk, and licked her lips. "Don't worry, Strawberry. I'm gonna take GOOD care of dear, sweet little Emin."

* * *

 **RWBY Shadows: Grimm Eclipse**

 **Character: Phillip 'Emin' Phlox**

 **Gameplay: Emin is the weakest character in terms of strength and average in Aura and speed. However, he makes up for this by having attacks that hit multiple times and long-ranged attacks.**

 **Skill Tree**

 **Path 1: Shuriken**

 **Level 1: Spin (Emin spins Eclipse Star and attacks the opponent with it. Can be chained up to three times.)**

 **Level 2: Cartwheel (Emin jumps in the air and does a somersault, slicing opponents in front of and behind him)**

 **Level 3A: Toss (Emin throws Eclipse Star, hitting enemies in a line in front of him, before grabbing it through a portal and returning it to his side)**

 **Level 3B: Propeller (Emin holds Eclipse Star above his head and spins it around, slashing all nearby opponents)**

 **Path 2: Claw**

 **Level 1: Punch (Emin punches the opponent with his claw. Can be chained up to three times.)**

 **Level 2: Grab (Emin grabs an opponent with his claw and then throws them in an arc, hitting any enemies far away from him)**

 **Level 3: Slap (Emin charges forward using his claw as a battering ram, damaging all opponents in front of him)**

 **Part 3: Lance**

 **Level 1: Thrust (Emin thrusts forward with his lance. Has a long hit range and can be chained up to three times.)**

 **Level 2A: Humming (Emin teleports into the sky then thrusts downward, knocking all opponents back and hitting any aerial enemies)**

 **Level 2B: Wave (Emin slashes Eclipse Star using Wind Dust, launching a slicing airwave that attacks a large group of opponents in front of him)**

 **Level 3: Drill (Emin spins Eclipse Star and performs a powerful stabbing slash, hitting all opponents in front of him)**

 **Counters**

 **Eclipse Shield: Emin spins Eclipse Star like a shield, knocking back and damaging opponents.**

 **Poke: Emin pokes the opponent using one of the fingers of Eclipse Star's claw form, knocking them back.**

 **Vault: Emin pole vaults using Eclipse Star in its lance form, kicking the opponent.**

 **Team Attacks**

 **Silent Bloom: Emin and Ruby (Ruby pulls her scythe back whilst Emin spins Eclipse Star. The two slash together, launching a powerful slicing shockwave.)**

 **Snowflake Dance: Emin and Weiss (Weiss creates a large crest that Emin throws Eclipse Star into, causing it to be covered in ice and increasing its attack radius, slashing through multiple opponents)**

 **Night Night: Emin and Blake (Blake creates several clones and Emin makes several portals for the clones to pass through. The clones then explode into fire, water and rocks for a large range of damage)**

 **Wasp Hook: Emin and Yang (Emin and Yang punch together with their weapons, Eclipse Star in its fist form, causing huge amounts of damage to a single opponent in front of them)**

 **Unlockable Abilities**

 **Emergency: Emin instantly teleports to the location of an ally.**

 **Boost: Emin jumps higher.**

 **Rescue: Emin takes half as long to revive a KO'ed ally.**

 **Help: Emin slowly recovers the Aura of any allies near him.**

 **Second Wind: Once only when Emin is KO'ed, he is instantly revived with a quarter of Aura.**

 **Special Attacks and Ultimate Attack**

 **Special 1: Tornado (Emin throws Eclipse Star, which creates a small twoster that sucks in and damages nearby enemies)**

 **Special 2: Earthquake (Emin punches the ground with Eclipse Star's claw form, launching all nearby opponents into the air and damaging them)**

 **Special 3: Plague (Emin opens multiple portals, then stabs into one rapidly with Eclipse Star as a lance, causing the opponents in front of him to be stabbed repeatedly with seemingly multiple lances)**

 **Ultimate: Skylight (Emin launches himself upward using Eclipse Star as a propellor, grouping together all nearby opponents. He then rockets down and smashes into the ground using his drill, causing large amounts of damage to all opponents)**

 **Multiplayer Colours**

 **Player 2: Emin's jacket and Eclipse Star turn red.**

 **Player 3: Emin's Jacket and Eclipse Star turn white.**

 **Player 4: Emin's jacket and Eclipse Star turn yellow.**

 **Taunts**

 **Danger: Emin stands with his head hung low, then holds Eclipse Etar out to the side, before it suddenly extends out into its longer form.**

 **Trick: Emin spins Eclipse Star as a shuriken like a disc on his finger.**

 **Cheer: Emin fist-pumps the air three times, then shyly covers his arm behind his back.**

* * *

 **Okay! Finally! A new chapter! And it's informative!**

 **Sorry this chapter took so long everybody. I do really incredibly enjoy writing this, but I can't help but feel saddened whenever I do, to be honest. Every time I write this, I feel like I'm comparing myself to the actual RWBY, and seeing how stupid I am in comparison. I have such high respect and admiration for RoosterTeeth and how successful they are...so, I feel kinda, pathetic in light of that. Plus, there are a lot more better RWBY fanfics then mine...and all I can do is write, so...yeah, I'm feeble, really.**

 **Anyway! Onto character questions! First ones are from NewComer1! First, to Velvet: Sorry to tease you around, Velvet. Two questions with same topic; Do you know about cases where some photographs that showed ghosts in the background, with the people in them? If you do know, have you had any experience with that when you made your photographs?**

 **Velvet: Oh, yeah, there are plenty of those around. Honestly, I think there might be sone truth to them, I've caught some weird things in my photographs. There always seem to be these weird, shadowy people in the backgrounds...it's weird.**

 **Next one's to Strawberry: Can you build a time machine? Do you have crush on Azure?**

 **Strawberry: Sorry to disappoint, but I think time travel technology currently transcends human understanding. Maybe if I invent something that makes me live longer, I'll be able to see it. And a crush? On Anzel? Wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll he can be sweet when he wants to. Figure the rest out on your own.**

 **A similar one to Azure: Azure: So...do you have feelings for Strawberry?**

 **Azure: Huh? What makes you think that? Just because we've been together for a really long time, and she has pretty eyes...beautiful hair...YOU CAN PROVE NOTHING!**

 **Next to Ruby: If your name is not Ruby Rose, what would your name be if you can name yourself, based on gem?**

 **Ruby: Well, what's wrong with Ruby? I like it. But if I HAD to change my name, I'd change it to...Crimson!**

 **Ellix: Is that even a gem?**

 **To Yang: Do you like bacon strips? I LOVE BACON STRIPS!**

 **Yang: Heck yeah! Bacon strips! WHOOOOOOOO!**

 **Ruby: Great, now you've set her off.**

 **Finally, to me! The Author: Thank you for bringing Ruby and Yang in the group. I also thank you for answering my previous question about Pokemon. Now I want to know if Blake and Weiss would appear next for the Q/A. Would they? I have questions specifically for them and I am DYING to ask them.**

 **You're very welcome! And I'll see what I can do! Now, moving onto Michaelis' question!**

 **To Yang, Ruby, Emin; If you were to choose to die in an epic fashion, what would it be?**

 **Yang: Well, I don't plan on dying...but if I do, with a whole lot of explosions whilst saying 'Hasta la vista!'**

 **Ruby: I don't really wanna die. But still, I'd have one of those heroic deaths, like jumping in front of someone to take a bullet! Or something cooler!**

 **Emin:...My death?...I don't want to die an epic death...I should die alone, as I deserve.**

 **And that is the chapter. Before we end, I have invited some new guests for people to ask questions to! (You're welcome, NC1)**

 **[Skype Caller: Wice Shneam]**

 **[Skype Caller: BlackCat]**

 **Weiss:...Ruby, I should never have let you decide my Skype name.**

 **Blake: So this is the room everybody's been talking about? Okay then.**

 **There we go. If you have any questions, send them in via review/PM! And as always, thank you so much for reading, and I shall see you in the next chapter!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Failed Trip 

A day after the Beacon Dance, the school field trip as Huntsmen and Huntresses in training was about to begin, and everybody was to gather in the hall. Team SEA were also preparing for the event, however, Eminence Phlox sat on his bed, a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong, Emin?" Strawberry asked, packing the the bags of all three team members.

"I'm worried about Team CFVY." Emin admitted. "They should have been back a week ago...what if they're injured, or what if they're trapped somewhere, or-!"

"Emin." Strawberry placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "They'll be fine. Team CFVY are experienced in these kinds of missions. You just have to have faith in them."

"Yeah, I know..." He nodded.

"Don't worry about it." Azure spoke up, his things ready. "C'mon, let's go join everybody else in the hall. We're going on a field trip!"

So, the trio picked up their packs (Emin a little hesitantly) and headed down to the hall where all the other Teams were. Teams JNPR, MDNT and CRDL could all be spotted talking amonst themselves, and Team RWBY was just coming in as Ozpin gave a speech:

"Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression."

"And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united.

"But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

Emin mulled over the rather long speech as everybody exited the auditorium. "What do I want to do? To try and make a difference? Stand out? I feel like...it's hard to find that answer..." He squeezed his eyes shut in a mixture of sadness and frustration.

"Hey, Emin!" He opened them again as Strawberry dragged him over to a holographic screen. "Guess whaaaat? We get to pick a mission!"

"The purpose of the field trip is to shadow a professional Huntsman or Huntress...but guess who ARE already professionals?" Azure smirked.

"You know what that meeeeeans?" Strawberry giggled. "We get free dibs on any mission! We're a team, after all! We can do ANYTHING on the list. Pick whichever one you want!"

The spiritual leader looked up at the screen. 'What do I really want to do?...Urgh, I don't know, I can't even pick a mission right...But, I know what I am best at!' He clicked on a Grimm outbreak emergency in the southeast.

"Grimm hunting! Nice choice!" Azure approved.

"Alright then, we're going on a Grimm hunt, we're gonna slay a whole ton!" Strawberry sang.

"Oh, so you're going hunting, Team SEA?" The pinkette froze as Ozpin walked up behind them. "You both ARE professionals, but are still a first year team."

Azure raised an eyebrow. "You didn't ask Ozpin?"

"Ummmm..." Strawberry sweated, before turning to the headmaster. "Please, Professor! It's Emin's choice, and I already, kinda, said we'd go. If we're both with Emin, we should all be fine! Besides, he proved himself with that...incident, didn't he."

"Yes, yes, you make excellent points." Ozpin calmly assured her. "I have no objections on allowing you to go on this mission...on one condition."

"Anything!" Ozpin showed her his Scroll, and her eyes widened. "Y...You can't be serious."

"You're a professional, correct? Besides, she needs to get out of the school for a bit, it would do her good." Ozpin said.

"Uuurrrrooooohhhhhh..." Strawberry groaned, slumping down.

'I wonder what's wrong...' Emin thought.

 _RWBY_

Shortly after, Emin and Azure stood outside Beacon with the other groups, large packs slung over their shoulders.

"C'mon, Strawberry, what's taking you?" Azure mumbled groggily. "I'll fall asleep at this rate..."

Emin, meanwhile, was looking around at all the other waiting Teams. He quickly noticed a small group, and wandered over to it to see what the fuss was. Finding his way through, he gasped when he saw a tired Team CFVY.

"Velvet!" He cried.

"Hey, Emin..." She waved weakly, trying to put on a smile. "Sorry I wasn't here for the dance..."

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago!" A nearby Weiss added. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened. It was just ... there were just so many..." She quickly noticed Emin and Team RWBY's worried expressions."Oh, but don't worry. You first-years are just shadowing Huntsmen, so you should be fine."

"Right." Yang nodded.

"I should go. Be safe, okay?" Velvet waved. "And, Emin, I really am sorry."

"I-It's fine. You don't have to worry about me." Emin assured her as she went off.

"So, uh, Emin, what are you guys doing?" Blake asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Oh, me, Strawberry and Azure are going Grimm hunting in Quadrant 5." Emin explained.

"No way! Really!? That's where we're going!" Ruby beamed.

"Huh...? But first-years can't-" Emin was cut off as Ruby fist-pumped the air excitedly.

"This is awesome! We're gonna do it in no time!" She cheered.

"C'mon then, Emin, you'd better hurry up and get ready." Yang encouraged.

"Ah! Right!" On her prompt, Emin hurried back to Azure. "Hey, is Strawberry here yet?"

"Wow, you look eager." Azure noted. "Yeah, I can see her...and look who she's brought along."

Emin looked forward to see Strawberry carrying a bag, with a gloomy expression on her face, with a woman walking along beside her. This woman had pink hair like Strawberry's, only in a darker tone, and tied up into a bun on top of her head, with bangs framing her face, and sharp analytical silver eyes. She wore a dark green turtleneck underneath a white labcoat buttoned up at the waist, and black skinny jeans with high heels.

"Professor Peach?" Emin thought aloud.

"Miss Peach! Great to see you!" Azure grinned all too happily.

"Likewise, Azure, you seem very energetic today." Peach nodded. "And Eminence, it is very nice to see you as well, how have you been?"

"Very well, Professor!" Emin nodded.

"Why, Ozpin...?" Strawberry sighed.

"Strawberry, did you remember to pack everything? You know you tend to hurry things." Peach told her.

"Mother! Stop embarrassing me in front of my team! I'm a grown woman!" Strawberry raged.

"Not with an attitude like that you're not." Peach tutted.

"Aaaarrrggghhh! It's not FAIR!" She shouted.

'It's hard to believe they're mother and daughter.' Emin thought, looking at them both."Well then, Professor Ozpin requested I come along with you. I may not be a Huntress, but I know a thing or two about survival." Peach stated. "Alright Strawberry, you're the leader, lead us."

"I WILL, thank you!" Strawberry fumed, and the whole group went towards the Bullhead.

Once inside they spotted Team RWBY standing with Dr. Oobleck. "Hey, they got Oobleck." Azure chuckled. "Lucky them." Emin couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

"Wish WE got stuck with Oobleck..." Strawberry whined.

"I can hear you." Peach spoke up.

"Good!" Strawberry cried.

The Bullhead landed, and the teams departed into the Mountain Glenn. It had the appearance of a very desolate city, with broken buildings and empty streets, as it was once supposed to be thriving.

"Here we are. C'mon, let's try and get some distance from Team RWBY, let them do their own thing." Azure suggested.

"Oh, okay. Good luck, guys!" Emin waved.

"You toooo!" Ruby waved, whilst the rest of her team gave a little shake of the hand, as Oobleck sipped his tea.

Team SEA plus Peach hadn't walked for very long (rather casually as well) before Beowolves had completely surrounded them.

"As always...they're never far." Emin sighed as he got out Eclipse Star and extended its blades.

"On the plus side, Emin, you make the job a lot easier." Strawberry smacked Azure over the head for that. "Hey, it was a joke."

"I'm going to just be over here." Peach called out.

"You do that!" Strawberry called back as she got out Requited Love in its whip form.

The three of them quickly dispatched the Beowolves and continued onward, only for more and more Grimm to show up; from Necro Geckoes to Wyverns.

'They're all coming after me...' Emin thought, picking up his thrown shuriken weapon. 'I guess its...'good' for this type of mission, but still...it's a miracle nobody's tried to kidnap me yet.'

Strawberry noticed Emin's expression, and quickly formulated a plan. "Y'know what, it's getting kinda late, let's set up camp for the night!"

"You seem to be confident taking charge." Peach smiled lightly.

"That's because I am!" Her daughter boasted.

So the quartet sat down ready for the evening, as Strawberry reached into her pack, refusing to leave it behind. "Ta-da!" She pulled out several boxes. "I packed us all a wide assortment of dinners! We have sandwiches, chicken, spaghetti, egg salad, fishsticks aaaaaand yogurt!"

"You, continue to impress me." Azure thanked her.

"Me as well, I'm surprised you managed to get all of this together...and into your bag." Peach noted.

"Give me a little credit will you?" Strawberry grumbled.

"Thank you, Strawberry." Emin nodded as he ate the spaghetti, though continued to have a wary look about him, ready for the next attack.

"Emin, don't worry." Azure assured him. "You're with us right now. Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to you." Emin nodded to show he understood, but the thoughts still lingered.

"I'll take night watch, so you guys get some rest." Strawberry said.

"Thank you." Azure took up the offer and went to bed, and Emin lay down to sleep.

"You've gotten so much more mature." Peach spoke.

"A lot happens in a long time." Strawberry whispered so as not to wake her teammates.

"I'm just saying, what happened to the girl who would run around without a care in the world, tinkering with little gadgets and growing flowers?" The professor wondered.

"She got older whilst you were holed up in your lab, studying plants and insects and whatever else." Strawberry replied.

There was a pause before Peach sighed. "Strawberry...I know we don't see each other very often anymore."

"It's fine, mother." The daughter waved it off. "It's understandable that you're a busy woman...got a lot of research to conduct, a lot of specimens to study...it's important, I know. I have my fair share of it."

"Haha..." Peach chuckled. "Yes...I'm sorry to say that I'm not one of those mothers you see in movies who just quits their job because their daughter is feeling lonely."

Strawberry chuckled. "Yeah, that's really stupid. And impractical."

"But...I am still your mother." She continued. "And I can tell you don't need me anymore...though I should make more effort to see you a lot. After all, when I got accepted into Beacon, I had to drag you along with me, and you became a Huntress."

"THAT, was actually a good decision." Strawberry smiled, looking back at the figures of Azure and Emin. "Because I have these two now."

"You have been good to them." Strawberry nodded. "You should be very proud of yourself."

Strawberry smiled faintly. "I know...I know..."

Peach could obviousl tell there was something uncertain in her tone, but chose to ignore it and savour the bonding moment. "I know I am."

Emin stayed awake, listening to the conversation. He couldn't sleep. He was too fearful another Grimm would attack at any second, so he just stared at the ground. After a while, he sat up. "Strawberry, can I take over?"

"Eh?" She looked at him groggily, her mother already asleep. "Oh, Emin...if-if you want too...I guess it would be kind of hard for Azure to stay awake...alright then. But if you see anything, wake us up, okay?"

"I will." Emin nodded as Strawberry went to sleep, and he stared into the darkness. "I should at least try and make myself useful...I wonder what Team RWBY are doing right now? And JNPR...and CFVY...and MDNT..."

Now that he was the only one awake, he missed his friends, despite it only being a day without them. He hadn't realised how comfortable he had become in their company. He sighed, trying to take the thought out of his head.

Just then, he heard a noise. The slightest scuffle. He immediately became alert, and turned around. "Strawber-"

Suddenly, he felt something hit him in the back of the neck forcefully. His vision blurred violently, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"The human neck...such a vulnerable weakness." Lilith Angres smirked, standing above him. "Hello there, little Catalyst. With what Roman's got planned, I reckon you could be a BIG help. Sorry about this, but I've had to get a little more...direct."

She knelt down and pulled the little device she recieved from Rust out of her pocket. She then carefully turned his head around and placed the device on the left side of his skull, hidden underneath his hair. The small gizmo had four little clamps, attaching itself to Emin's head, as its light flicked on into a red colour.

"There we go. Ohhhhh, I cannot WAIT to try this out." She licked her lips. "But first..." She stood up and gestured to two White Fang soldiers. "All yours, boys." The both of them nodded, as Lilith looked at the sleeping Strawberry. "Sleep tight, Strawberry." She then literally skipped away, quite pleased with herself.

The White Fang members grabbed Emin underneath his arms and began pulling him up, when they heard a moan.

"Emin...?" Strawberry groaned, her eyes fluttering open. Sensing the impending threat, the two soldiers began running, carrying Emin with them, just as Strawberry fully woke up. "Emin!"

Strawberry jumped up. "Azure! Get up!" She kicked him in the stomach.

"Yeowch!" He gasped, clutching his midsection. "Strawberry, what are y-!?"

"White Fang members took Emin!" She hurriedly told him.

"What!?" Azure yelled.

"Come on! Hurry!" Strawberry pulled him along, as he had to quickly grab Chaotic Order.

"This is awful..." Peach could only mumble as she followed after her daughter.

The two White Fang members ran as fast as they could carrying the KO-ed Emin, running towards an underground staircase which they practically bolted down as Azure, Strawberry and Peach were in hot pursuit.

"Give back Emin!" Strawberry shouted, changing Requited Love into its pistol form and shooting at them, narrowly missing the left ones head. They made a sharp right down a corridor, and the three of them followed.

"Not a step further!" Azure held out Chaotic Order as a powerful wind blew forth from it. The members were caught of guard and sent flying from the force, dropping Emin in the process.

"Azure! Interrogate them!" Strawberry instructed as she tossed several seeds that sprouted into vines, trapping the two members as she quickly knelt down in front of Emin. "Emin, Emin are you okay? Can you here me!?"

"You two better have a good reason for kidnapping our teammate." Azure threatened as he patted his 1,000 tonne staff against his palm like a baseball bat. "Start talking, or I start swinging."

"We're not telling you any-!" Before he could finish his sentence, Azure swung the staff into the wall, smashing it with tremendous force and leaving a giant spiderweb crack.

"You were saying?"

"L-Look! We were just told by our boss, Roman, to bring the kid here! That's all we know, I swear!" The member panicked.

"Roman Torchwick." Azure growled. "What is he up to now?"

"...Ugh..." Emin wearily opened his eyes. "Strawberry...?"

"Emin! You're okay!" She sniffed, her eyes glazed. "I was so worried! I'm sorry, I should never have let you guard on your own!"

"Oh...um..." Emin shook his head, looking around to see his new surroundings. 'So I got knocked out...I can't even watch out for danger right...'

"Glad to see your okay, Emin." Azure slung his weapon over his back. "Things just got serious. Apparently Roman is working on something big underground here. And you can bet it's not gonna be pretty."

"Roman, again? If he's here, Rust can't be far behind..." Strawberry thought aloud. "Which way?"

"Apparently down here." Azure pointed down the tunnel. "Let's go take care of this. Emin? You okay to fight?"

"Yes." Emin quickly assured him, holding out Eclipse Star. "I-I won't be caught off-guard this time."

The four of them went down the tunnel (Strawberry keeping her hands on Emin's shoulders to protect him) until they could see an opening. They all climbed out to see something they didn't expect.

"A train?" Emin observed, staring at it.

"Why on earth do they have one down here?" Azure wondered.

"For the one reason you have a train, to move things." Strawberry spoke up. "What exactly, I'm not sure."

Just then there was a screeching sound, then a heavy clunk, and the wheels started turning. "It's moving!" Emin gasped.

"Quick! Everybody on!" Azure opened the door on the carriage nearest to them and jumped inside, helping Emin in as Strawberry helped Peach in, before the leader got in and closed the door behind her. "So, what is this all about?"

The group looked around the carriage to find it was rather large, and metallic, filled with crates. Strawberry walked over to one and checked them.

"These are weapons." She observed. "No doubt made by Rust. This is something big indeed...are they planning a full force attack? No...that would be too reckless...so what is their goal."

"Strawberry." Her mother spoke up. "Look over there."

Everybody looked at the other end of the carriage. Standing there was an Atlesian Paladin, only with much bulkier armour, two gatling guns attached to its shoulders, heavier fists, and rockets attached to its elbows and the back of its legs.

"No way...don't tell me that's-?" Azure began.

"Project DARK?" Strawberry finished.

As soon as she said it, the rockets suddenly burst to life, and the robot charged forward, raising its fist.

"Ha!" Azure swung his staff and blocked the attack, throwing the machine back. It armed both of its gatlings and began firing, making everybody duck behind some of the crates.

"What is it doing here!?" Peach asked.

"I don't know!" Strawberry turned to her teammates. "Azure! I'm going to make an opening! Take Emin and my mother and get out of here! You need to stop this train!"

"I'm on it!" He agreed, as Strawberry switched Requited Love to its taser form.

"Go now!" Strawberry popped up and aimed her weapon, firing the two prongs that stabbed into the machines chest, and make it freeze up as electricity shocked its body.

"Move forward, guys!" Azure pushed Emin and Peach pas the robot to the other side of the carriage and hastily opened the door, letting them all out before he shut it behind him.

Strawberry retracted the prongs and reverted her weapon back to its whip form, as the robot recovered and stood over here.

"So, then...let's see what you can do." Strawberry coaxed it.

Outside, Azure was looking between the two carriages. "It'll take too long to go through them one by one, we'll have to go across the top! Emin! Professor! Hold onto me!" The two of them grabbed a shoulder each as Azure made the three of them weightless and jumped up on top of the carriages. "Alright, now we need to-"

"Emin?" The trio looked behind them to see Ruby and Professor Oobleck.

"Ruby?" Emin asked.

"Professor Peach?" Oobleck mumbled.

"Professor Oobleck?" Peach thought aloud.

"Azure?" Ruby asked.

"We really need to stop meeting like this." Azure sighed.

Meanwhile in the carriage, Strawberry wrapped her whips chain around the machines gatling gun and pulled hard, ripping it off from the monster and making it stumble back. She then threw seeds nears its feet, which instantly bloomed into red floers that propelled the machine upwards, making it smash into the ceiling and crash into the ground, before Strawberry changed her weapon into its dagger form and jump up, stabbing the robot straight in its metallic chest, causing it to spark before shutting down.

Strawberry pulled her weapon out of the machine. "There's no way this is Project DARK. The blueprints I read were far too detailed to result in something as mundane as this." She narrowed her eyes. "Are you toying with me, Rust?"

On top, the two groups were getting up to speed, whilst Emin was petting Zwei, being fascinated in the dog. 'So cute...'

"This is much more serious..." Azure muttered. "How long until we reach the final wall?"

"Not long." Oobleck confirmed, as some Paladins appeared. "And then there are these things...Ruby! You go on ahead!"

"But-!" Ruby began.

"Don't worry, Ruby. It's time...I teach them a lesson..." He nodded.

"Emin, take Professor Peach and go with Ruby. I'll grab Strawberry and we'll catch up." He told him.

"O-Okay!" Emin and Peach followed after Ruby, as the two Huntsman and Zwei stayed behind.

The other members reunited with Ruby from the train car. "Emin? Professor Peach? What are you doing here!?"

"Fighting?" Emin answered.

"Never mind that now, look up ahead!" Weiss pointed, as the train headed for a very strong-looking wall.

"What do we do?" Blake thought aloud.

"Mmmm..." Emin panicked. "I don't know!"

Weiss quickly formed an ice shield in front of them, and everybody braced for impact.

There was a crash, and an explosion.

Then all hell broke loose.

* * *

 **RWBY Shadows Chibi: Team SEA Daily Routine**

 **Chibi Emin is shown waking up, as Chibi Strawberry is making her bed, then subsequently his bed. Chibi Azure is still sleeping. Chibi Strawberry then fusses over Chibi Emin as he does his teeth, hair and clothes, Chibi Azure still being asleep. They then all have breakfast, with Chibi Azure face down in a bowl of porridge.**

 **Chibi Emin is then shown cleaning, before Chibi Strawberry scolds him and drags him away, with Chibi Azure leaning against a pole, sleeping. They then all have lunch, with Chibi Azure face down in a bowl of soup. Chibi Strawberry is then shown training Chibi Emin, whilst Chibi Azure reads a book with fascination.**

 **Chibi Team SEA then have dinner, with Chibi Azure face down in a bowl of spaghetti. They then all get ready for bed, with Chibi Azure already asleep.**

 **"He has a SERIOUS problem." Chibi Strawberry nodded.**

* * *

 **Hello everybody! It's a new chapter after a long while! Sorry, but I've been away for a bit.**

 **Oh, and just to let you guys know, it's gonna be my birthday soon! August 10th! I would have posted this on the day but, I'm kinda excited to get it out now so...yeah.**

 **Anyway! Onto our reviewer questions! First ones are from NewComer1. I'll give the first one to Emin:** **Do you think Strawberry and Azure should like, I don't know...go steady together? (In other words, should they be boyfriend and girlfriend?)**

 **Emin: They should. I mean, it's kind of obvious they like each other...what, you didn't see it?**

 **To Ruby: How fast can you move when you use your Semblance? If you can, could you move your own molecule so fast that you can go through solid objects?**

 **Ruby: I can run super fast! And...phase through walls? That would be so cool! Hold on!**

 **Yang: Ruby, no!**

 **Ruby: *CRASH!* ...I'm okay...**

 **To Weiss: Is every member of your family named after a word that relates with "cold"? Do you have a cousin named "Frieza" or "Cooler"?**

 **Weiss:...Did you just...? Oh. Hilarious. Yes, as a matter of fact, I have a cousin named REFRIGERATOR!**

 **To Blake: Something to get it over with that all fans, including myself is dying to ask; what is the book, "Ninja of Loves" about? Why are you hiding it!? What is your secret!? I love chocolate! ANSWER MEEEEEEE! (Hysterically went mad and broke through the wall, leaving the shape of my body through the solid wall completely, like a hole. Eventually came back safe and sound.) Also, what kind of faunus Adam is? I can't tell if he has a horn to indicate he is a bull or cow...**

 **Blake: What!? How do you know about that book!? You have no evidence! No proof! NONE! And...um...I don't know how you know about Adam but...nobody really knows. We can tell he's a Faunus but...what type? No-one ever knew.**

 **Also to Blake: Do you like the "Nya-Nya" cat? Go watch it if you haven't.**

 **Blake: I did watch it, and I did kinda like it...until Ruby saw it.**

 **Ruby: Blake! Do it!**

 **Blake: For the last time, NO!**

 **To Yang: Have you read a manga called "One-Punch Man"? You should also check out the anime show for it. It would be quite a punch! (Winked my eyes when I said that.)**

 **Yang:...ONE PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH! That answer your question?**

 **And now, the last questions, from Dalastjedi: What's your favourite Overwatch hero? And what do you like on your pizza?**

 **Emin: My favourite is Bastion, and I like plain pepperoni.**

 **Azure: I play Genji, and I like BBQ chicken and sauce on mine.**

 **Strawberry: I really like Mercy, and my favourite toppings are peppers and mushrooms.**

 **Velvet: Um, I think Zenyatta is good, and, I, really just like it plain.**

 **Ruby: Tracer! And as much as possible!**

 **Weiss: I quite like Mei, and as for pizza...I'd say ham and pineapple.**

 **Blake: I main Winston, and I like sardines on my pizza.**

 **Yang: Reinhardt all the way! And a meat feast pizza for me!**

 **So, as always, thank you all for reading, and I will see you in the next chapter!**

 **Oh, and...fair warning. From here on out, things are gonna get serious. You think Volume 3 was dark?...Heh...you haven't seen me at my worst yet...**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: DARK Fog

"Emin...Emin wake up...please, Emin, wake up!"

"Ugh..." Emin regained consciousness to a bad headache and ringing in his ears, as nothing but dust surrounded him, and he was helped to his feet then abruptly hugged.

"Thank goodness you're safe." The figure whispered.

"Strawberry...?" He asked, still in a daze.

"You were close to the explosion, I was so worried!" She confirmed through her voice alone.

Slowly, he began to recollect his thoughts. "...Where's...Team RWBY?"

"They're fine too, don't worry." Azure assured him as he walked over. "However, right now, we have a more pressing matter."

Emin looked over in the same direction as Azure, to see Beacon Academy overrun with Grimm of all kinds, as students and teachers alike fought back against them.

"The impact from the train knocked out the barrier, so now there's nothing to stop these Grimm getting in." Azure explained. "We need to go and help fight."

"R-right." Emin agreed, shakily standing up.

"Emin, if you're too tired-" Strawberry began.

"I'm fine, I promise." Emin nodded, holding Eclipse Star at the ready. He had to at least help everybody.

"...Okay." She nodded. "Mother, stay out of trouble, please."

"I'm the one who's supposed to say that." Professor Peach sighed. "...Be careful, all of you."

Emin began teleworking in short bursts towards the battlefield, whilst Azure picked Strawberry up bridal style and jumped all the way over. Team SEA appeared together in the middle of the chaos, as more and more Grimm surrounded them.

"Let's go, guys!" Strawberry rallied them as she whipped several away, whilst Emin spun his shrunken to slice through them, and Azure slashed with his bisento.

Emin changed his weapon into its Lance form and charged forward, skewering a Beowolf in front of him before teleworking above a Boarbatusk and slamming his weapon down on it, before slicing through a Necro Gecko that strayed too close.

Azure swung his staff upward as flames formed into a giant fireball above his head, before swinging his weapon to send the mini meteor crashing down into several different Grimm. As a Beowolf leapt at him from behind, he swung his open palm downward, causing the gravity around the beast to increase, and smash it face first into the ground.

Strawberry threw some seeds on the ground, which sprouted into large yellow and purple flowers that began shooting Violet coloured pollen at some surrounding Grimm that almost instantly make them snarl in pain as they were paralysed and poisoned by the pollen, allowing her to shock the survivors with her taser.

Whilst this was going on, a figure sat on a nearby building, dangling her legs over the edge of the roof like a child as she watched the destruction unfurl below her.

"Wow, whatta party." Lilith approved. "Great setup, it looks so fun! Shame I gotta sit up here though...Oh well, this'll be allllll worth it. Just gotta wait for the perfect moment."

Elsewhere in the commotion, Team MDNT also fought against the waves of Grimm that continued to advance. Oli stood behind a large piece of fallen debris, taking aim and firing with her sniper rifle, picking off the monsters one by one.

"Hey, Maggy! Maybe you could, y'know, not hide behind a rock and be dashing and brave like me?" Titian called to her, as he held up a sleek black pistol and fired at a charging Boarbatusk.

"Don't call me that, and none of your business, I'll fight how I like." She replied in a deadbeat tone.

"Charming." Titian commented, before flicking a knife out from the body of the pistol, and jumping on top of a Wyvern to stab it in the neck.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Nhema roared as she brandished two crimson red curved blades resembling hooks. She recklessly charged forward and clashed with a Hell Scythe, digging her heels in as she threw the blade of the preying mantis Grimm back with surprising strength.

"Nhema, we REALLY don't need you going berserk right now! What if you attack an ally!?" Bruno pleaded as he swung a silver sword with a very wide handguns around. The purpose of the design choose was made clear as wires attached from the ends to the tip of the sword and he reached into one of his deep pockets to pull out an arrow, transforming the blade into a crossbow which fired an arrow into the chest of a Creep.

Elsewhere Eclipse Star sliced through several Grimm before Emin caught it, then regrouped with Azure and Strawberry.

"Looks like we're doing good. They're almost done for." Azure praised themselves.

"Don't let your guard down now and mess it up then!" Strawberry insisted.

"Heeey! Guys!" A familiar voice cried out.

"Ruby!" Emin responded as the two teams grouped up.

"There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you in all this!" Weiss panted.

"We couldn't find you after the train crashed, it's good to see you're okay." Blake added.

"No Torchwick or goons either." Yang muttered.

"I'm just glad you all are okay." Emin breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're better then okay! We're victors!" Ruby cheered. "Beacon is still standing, and that's all that matters!"

"Yes, thank goodness that's over." Weiss agreed.

However, Lilith was looking down on the scene with displeasure. "Boo! It can't be over so soon!...Looks like its time to have an encore!"

She pulled out her Scroll and tapped a function, displaying a completely white energy gauge. "Let's see how you like this, Catalyst." She slid her finger up slightly, causing the energy gauge to turn slightly red.

At that moment, the device hidden under Emin's hair glowed green to signify it was active, and Emin's eyes widened, and he began shaking slightly.

"Huh? Emin?" Ruby took notice.

"Emin, what's wrong?" Strawberry asked with concern.

Unbeknownst to them, the small device had just deployed a small needle, which was slowly but surely, stabbing through Emin's skin.

"...Ah...Aaaaah...!" Emin doubled over and clutched his head as pain began to invade his brain.

"Emin!" Strawberry gasped as she held him.

"What's wrong with him!?" Blake asked.

"I don't know!" Strawberry panicked.

"Ooh, it looks like he's feeling that." Lilith giggled. "How about if I up the intensity a bit?" The slid her finger up further, making half of the gauge turn red.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Emin shouted as the needle stabbed further down, penetrating his skull. "Ag...it hurts...it hurts so much...! Make it stop...please make it stop!"

"I-I don't know! I don't know what to do!" Strawberry cried.

"Strawberry, calm down!" Azure tried to reassure her, even though it was clear he was just as distraught.

"Emin, come on! You gotta tell us what's wrong! Please!" Yang practically begged.

"This is delightful!" Lilith laughed. "I don't want this to end! Let's give her all she's got!" She fully swiped her finger, making the entire gauge go red.

And the needle stabbed into Emin's brain, right into his pain receptors.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Emin screamed as unbearable pain flooded over his body. His face began to glitch in purple, blue and green colours as his Semblance violently reacted to the pain.

As his head distorted, the needle fell out and to the ground as he slowly recovered, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he collapsed.

"Emin! Emin!" Ruby gasped.

"Wh-What just happened!?" Weiss cried.

Strawberry, meanwhile, picked up the needle, blood dripping from its point. "This thing is...This was used to torture Emin!"

"What!?" Azure gasped.

"This needle must have been used pierce Emin's skull, and hurt him in a powerful way." Her eyes hardened. "Someone made Emin feel all this pain, hurting him so much...that's unforgivable! Why would anybody do this to him!?"

"Um, everybody? We have a problem." Ruby pointed. The group turned to see more and more Grimm climbing in over the rubble, growling angrily.

"More of them?" Yang muttered.

"No way...of course!" Strawberry stood up with an angry expression. "Whoever did this inflicted pain on Emin deliberately to draw more Grimm here!"

"So whoever did this knows he's the Catalyst..." Azure hissed.

"Torchwick..." Ruby growled.

"Nothing for it, we'll have to beat them back all over again!" Blake declared.

"Emin!" Just then, Velvet ran over. "Emin, no! Can you hear me? Say something!"

"Velvet, get Emin out of here!" Strawberry told her. "Someone hurt Emin severely in order to draw these Grimm out, and they still might be close by! Get him back to Beacon, quickly!"

"O-Okay!" The Faunus agreed as she hefted Emin over her shoulder and began carrying him in the opposite direction as Team RWBY, Strawberry and Azure faced off against the new wave of Grimm.

"This is better then I thought!" Lilith celebrated. "He brought a whole second party!" She tapped a different function on her Scroll. "Hey, Rust! The encore's happening, and you're up!"

"Finally!" Weber Rust exclaimed down the line. "I can test it in the most perfect way...by destroying Beacon Academy!"

A Beowolf was sent flying from the force of Azure's staff, as Team RWBY fought with more Grimm further away. "Okay, we just have to keep this up and-" He was interrupted as a whirring sound filled the sky. "What the heck?"

The ground rumbled as a massive shape flew over Vale, before turning around and hovering in front of Azure and Strawberry, as big as a building. It looked somewhat similar to an Atlesian Knight, but it was much sleeker in design, with sharp sleek limbs and black armour. Blue photon energy floated through the body of it threw glass tubes similar to veins, as it had five photon created claws on each hand, and heavy clamps acting as feet. It flew thanks to photon created diamond shapes connected together, each one giving off a faint glow to emit energy. It had a spherical head with a visor, whilst a very long, thick pipe extended out of its back, bound together by iron rings and having a claw on the end.

"Project DARK..." Strawberry breathed.

"I'm glad you noticed, Pinkette!" A voice screeched from the machine. "I was worried that wouldn't be able to tell!"

"Weber Rust!" Azure recognised it.

"Did you enjoy my little fake project on the train? Just a little gizmo I threw together to mess with you." Rust continued.

"Cut the junk, Rust!" Strawberry yelled, holding up the needle like incriminating evidence. "You used this on Emin, didn't you!? Answer me!"

"Hmph. I'm more then happy to admit I designed that device, but I was not the one who utilised it." He responded. "Besides, I have no time for something like that. Right now, I will prove the power of my genius! By having my masterpiece, Project DARK, reduce Vale to rubble!"

The machine held out its claws before slicing threw a nearby building, making it explode it dust and debris.

"That thing is huge! How are we supposed to fight it!?" A student cried.

"And more Grimm just keep turning up!" Another shouted as they were surrounded.

"This is bad...really bad!" A third cried.

DARK made to swipe with its other claw, when vines suddenly sprouted up and and grabbed the arm. "I don't care how grand you think this thing is!" Strawberry ran up the vine, with her weapon in its taser form. "Basic robotics rule dictates that the weakest points are the connecting limbs! A powerful shock will short circuit your so-called masterpiece!"

"Oh yes, you'd like to think I forgot about that, wouldn't you?" Just as Strawberry swung her weapon, a blue photon shield appeared in front of the robots arm, blocking the attack and making her fall back.

"Strawberry!" Azure jumped up and caught her, before falling to the ground and letting her down. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But this is more advanced then I thought." Strawberry admitted.

"I'll show you all my unbeatable intellect!" Rust cried as Project DARK swung the pipes attached to its back, instantly crushing two more buildings.

"We can't let this thing go on like this, but everybody else are holding the Grimm back." She observed.

"Then we'll do it, obviously." Azure said. "Come on, let's stop this."

 _RWBY_

"Hah...hah..." Velvet panted, leaning against the wall of a building, whilst the unconscious Emin lay against it. "This is...harder then I thought..." She looked back to see Project DARK rampaging. "And then that thing suddenly appeared out of nowhere..."

"...Mm...Ngh..." Emin began to stir.

"Ah! Emin!" She knelt down next to him.

"V...Velvet...?" He instinctively clutched his forehead. "My head hurts..."

"I'm surprised you're conscious!" She said. "You blacked out from the pain!"

"Pain...?" Of course, he could remember that awful, awful pain. "Where is...everybody...?"

"Nevermind that for the moment. We need to get you back to Beacon, somebody is after you, and we can't let that happen." Velvet told him. "Everybody else will be fine."

It was then that he noticed the giant machine terrorising the town. "Is that...the machine Strawberry was talking about?"

"Come on, we need to hurry." Velvet urged him, helping him to his feet.

"W-Wait...!" He staggered out of her grip. "Team RWBY, Strawberry and Azure...are they all over there?"

"Emin, they told me to bring you back, we have to leave this to them!" Velvet urged.

"I have to help them...!" Emin teleported forward, only to smack into a wall as he reappeared, the multicoloured blocks and spheres that made up his Semblance sparking around him in a flurry as he tried to move forward.

"Wait! Emin!" The rabbit Faunus cried as she ran after him.

 _RWBY_

"Hah!" Azure shot a whirlwind from his staff, but DARK was unaffected as it swung its claw down, smashing into the earth and tearing up the ground to force Azure to jump back.

Strawberry wrapped her weapon in its whip form around the machines neck, before swinging herself up onto its head. "I'll just have to attack you directly, Rust!" She gave a forceful kick to the machines visor, but it was unaffected.

"So sorry, Fruitloop, but this model is remote controlled at the moment!" Rust's voice spoke out from the machine, as it threw her off, making her wrap her whip around a lamppost in order to swing up to a building.

And true to his word, back at the White Fang encampment, Weber Rust sat with folded legs, controlling the giant machine using his Scroll, as if he were playing a video game. "A plus for basic, mundane battle strategy, though. Top notch if I do say so myself."

"Will you shut up!?" Azure shouted as he jumped all the way up to it and detached the ball and chain from the end of his staff, swinging the heavy weapon into the machines midsection with such force the blow left a dent and knocked the flying machine back.

"I don't think you have the right to say that!" Rust declared as suddenly blue lasers fired rapidly from the machines wings at Azure. Thinking quickly, he increased his gravity to fall back down to the ground fast and avoid the lasers, though that didn't stop them from hitting several more buildings and causing even more damage.

"This isn't doing much..." Azure thought aloud. "...Okay, then. I'm desperate!" He placed his staff on the ground and held both his hands up, causing all the stone, debris, and rubble to begin floating upward.

"How about this!?" Strawberry threw some seeds which instantly grew into cacti that began firing needles at DARK, but the machine merely created a shield in front of itself to block the attack.

"Please, are you trying to insult me!?" It fired more lasers from its wings, instantly destroying the plants, before swiping at Strawberry with its claw, making her run back to Azure.

"Are you almost done?" She asked.

"Hopefully!" He panted, as all the rubble had formed into a giant makeshift meteor suspended above the machines head. "I'm betting it all on this!" He swung both his hands down, and the rock began plummeting to the ground.

"...You think I wasn't aware of that?" Rust's voice spoke out as the pipes acting as its tail extended upward, and blue energy began to glow from the claw on the end. "How naive!"

A blue laser fired from the table and shot into the giant lump of stones, making it explode over the heads of Vale and everybody in it, the pieces scattering far and wide. Even the savage Grimm looked skyward from the force of the impact.

"I...Impossible...!" Azure breathed.

"How can this thing be so powerful?" Strawberry had to ask.

"Hahahahahaha! This test run has been a magnificent success!" Rust announced. "This has more then proven my genius! My intellect! What do you have to say NOW, scientists of Atlas!? I have created the worlds strongest bmachine! Project DARK!"

"And to cement my magnum opus' name in history..." The tail of the machine aimed at Beacon Academy. "I'll destroy Vale's greatest achievement in one attack!"

"No! Stop!" Azure hissed.

"We can't let him!" Strawberry cried. "But how in Remnant can we-?" She looked at Azure, who had an uncharacteristically grim look on his face. "...Azure, don't."

"What other choice do we have?" He said as the laser began charging up power.

"I...I..." Strawberry racked her brain, trying to think of something. "Then...let me try and help. We're a team after all, right?"

Azure couldn't help but smile lightly. "Yeah...besides, we have to save Beacon, so we can go back and see Emin, right?"

"Of course." Strawberry agreed, as he took her hand.

Meanwhile, Emin had just teleported into the battlefield, and could see his teammates a distance away. "Strawberry! Azure!" As he tried to run towards them, the both of them suddenly jumped high into the sky.

"Farewell, Beacon Academy!" Rust shouted as his laser fired.

But Azure and Strawberry jumped in the way of the attack.

And the laser exploded into them instead.

Emin's heart seemed to stop at the sight of the impact. The world seemed to slow down. All noises were blocked out.

Two figures fell out of the debris smoke and crashed into the ground.

His legs seemed to move on their own. Running, scrambling towards where they had landed, desperately trying to reach them.

He staggered when he saw them. They were both covered in burn marks, lying face down, smoke coming off of their bodies. It all seemed so horrifyingly familiar.

For a moment, he couldn't move out of fear of the worst. But he forced his body into action by flipping them onto their fronts, their faces thankfully not too damaged.

"Strawberry..." He shook her lightly. "Strawberry, wake up." He then tried the other one. "Azure, this is no time to be sleeping, wake up! Wake up! Both of you! You have to wake up! WAKE UP!"

He stared at their bodies with fearful eyes. "Strawberry...Azure..." He fell to his knees. "Please...you can't..." Tears dripped down from his eyes. "Don't leave me alone...please...you...you can't..." His whole body shook violently, before he curled up into a ball.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed. "STRAWBERRY! AZURE! YOU CAN'T! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME ALL ALONE! PLEASE!"

"Strawberry...Azure..." Velvet breathed fearfully. "They can't..."

"I thought you would come running, Catalyst." Project DARK flew down in front of the sorrowful Emin. "Fools until the bitter end. Sacrificing themselves to protect a building. Pathetic."

"Strawberry...Azure...please..." Emin sobbed. "I need you...please...I need you...!"

Then, something happened. A thick, familiar fog began to float in, across all of Vale.

The remaining Grimm all suddenly froze, and hunched over, looking around on high alert.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked.

"I've never seen Grimm act like this before." Weiss noted.

"Are they...afraid?" Blake guessed.

"Afraid? What would Grimm be afraid of?" Yang wondered.

"What is up with this fog!?" Magnolia asked.

"It's so thick!" Titian tried to wave it away, to no avail.

"It's so choking...!" Bruno coughed.

Slowly, a shadow could be seen in the fog. A giant shadow. One as tall as Beacon itself. And it was moving forward, slowly, but surely. At the sight of the shadow, all the Grimm immediately bolted, running away as fast as possible.

"Wh-What's got them so spooked?" Ruby asked.

The shadow was drawing closer, it was coming up behind Project DARK.

"None of that matters now." Rust spoke, as the claw on the end of its tail descended towards the still weeping Emin. "You're mine now, Catalyst."

But as the machine was about to pick him up, a single step shook the earth, making Rust freeze in his command. "...What was that?" He made the machine turn around, only for it to look up at the monster towering over it.

The giant was humanoid in appearance at the very least, but it was no doubt a Grimm, as its body was pitch black, but with flickers emanating off of it, as if its whole body was writhing black shadows. Its thick legs ended in stumps, but white arrowhead shaped bone-like armour covered the front and back of its 'foot', as well as its knees. Its long arms had more white armour encasing its forearms, taking on the appearance of giant ribcages, as its hands had a white bone ring around each of its five fingers, whilst bone spikes jutted out and curved inward from the armour on its shoulders, and a spiked bone collar was around its waist, resembling a belt. Blood red markings similar to tribal style flames covered its whole body, from its arms, to its legs, to its head, but on its chest and back, it detailed itself like a roaring inferno with a giant flower in the middle of it, and instead of just being red, it flashed in colours of red, blue, purple, green, yellow and orange. Its face was encased by a giant bone helmet with huge, bladed horns, similar to a gladiators helmet, as wild red hair extended out of the back of its head like a disheveled plume. The only thing that could be seen of its face were its round yellow eyes with black pupils and red irises, staring down at Project DARK.

"Wh-What!?" Rust gasped in surprise. "What is that Grimm?"

The Grimm simply stared for a moment, before it pulled its right arm back, getting ready to swing at DARK.

"Gah!" DARK launched upwards into escape into the air, but the Grimm swung its arms with surprising speed, smashing into the side of Dark and sending it flying, smashing through several buildings before crashing into the ground.

"Wha-H-How!?" Rust stammered, taken aback by the strength of the Grimm, before his machine rose into the air once more. "No matter! I'll destroy that thing with ease!"

Lasers fired from the machines wings and exploded on impact with the humongous Grimm, but the clearing dust revealed that it wasn't even scratched as it stomped towards Project DARK.

"THis isn't possible! Curses!" DARk flew straight at the monster, claw ready to slash, but as he swiped, the Grimm suddenly faded into the fog, disappearing from sight. "Where did it-!?"

Before he could even finish, the Grimm emerged out of the fog behind the machine and smashed it in the back with its fist, causing one of its back photon generators to explode, disabling one of its wings and making it fall to the ground.

"No! NonononoNO!" RUst cried angrily at his Scroll.

DARK aimed its tail at the monster and fired its laser, but the monster simply leaned its head back to make the laser shoot upward into the thick fog before fading away. It then raised its left fist and brought it smashing down straight onto the robot, before raising its right fist and doing the same, alternating between the two as it pounded the machine mercilessly into the ground.

Where Rust was sitting, the words 'CONNECTION LOST' appeared in red on the front of his Scroll.

"Inconceivable! Improbable! This, cannot be happening!" He threw his Scroll at the wall in rage, smashing it to pieces. "Project DARK...my crowning achievement...lost!? To a GRIMM!?" He screamed in anger in the dark room.

Meanwhile, the Grimm stood up, Project DARK nothing more then twisted metal and broken parts at its feet.

"It defeated that thing so easily..." Weiss breathed.

"What IS that Grimm!?" Blake asked.

The Grimm then turned its head towards Beacon Academy, and straightened itself to its full height.

"Great, now it's after us!" Yang cried.

"Can we really fight something like this and win?" Velvet couldn't help but think aloud.

Emin continued to cry, almost unaware of everything that was going on, and resorted to holding Strawberry's arm for some kind of comfort. "...H-Huh?" He could...feel something...

"A pulse?" He wrapped both his hands around her wrist. "...A pulse!" Quickly, he pressed his head against Azure's chest. "...Heartbeat! Strawberry! Azure! You're...you're not dead! You're okay!"

No sooner had the words left his lips then the giant Grimm turned towards the scene, staring down at Team SEA.

"Emin! Look out!" Velvet called.

"Get away from there!" Ruby also called.

"You're okay, you're not dead, you're okay..." Emin told himself more then anyone, as tears of joy fell from his face. "I thought I lost you both..."

The Grimm simply stared, before slowly turning, and then walking away, taking its fog with it.

"It just...left?" Ruby thought aloud.

"All it did was destroy Project DARK..." Velvet wondered.

"That thing just turned up out of nowhere, then left." A student began to mumble.

"Isn't it obvious what happened? That thing showed up because Phillip was upset!" Another said.

"He's the one who called that thing here! It's because he can call Grimm!" A third whispered.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm gonna get help!" Emin assured his unconscious guardians, before turning around to the crowd of students, who had all now gathered around him. "Please, can somebody get a doctor? Strawberry and Azure need help!"

But the crowd just stood there, staring, and whispering. "Please, they're really hurt, they need help as soon as pos-" He tried to step towards them, but they all backed off in response, giving him judging looks.

"Huh? Why are you...?" They continued to stare, and he shrunk under their gaze. "J-Just...please help them...I...I..." He began to tremble in fear.

"Emin!" Velvet pushed her way through the crowd, but by the time she gotr near him, he teleported away. "Emin, wait!"

Team RWBY joined her quickly, as Ruby and Yang helped up Strawberry, whilst Weiss and Blake helped up Azure. "Come on, let's help get them to Beacon!" The group helped the two of them as they went towards the Academy.

 **Hello everybody, sorry this hasn't been updated in a while, I've just been really busy and...well...I've always had some feelings about RWBY which make me feel very bad. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it, it's just...sometimes, I just feel bad watching it, and you wouldn't be interested anyway.**

 **On the matter at hand, I decided to post this chapter to celebrate the start of Volume 4, which I know is going to be awesome, and I hope you all enjoy it too! This is a chapter I've been wanting to write ever since this story began, and this is the starting point which shows that Shadows will be a lot darker then the regular RWBY.**

 **Sorry to those of you who asked questions last chapter, but I don't think our characters are in the right frame of mind to answer anything right now.**

 **Next chapter, prepare for a lot of feels. Thank you for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated, and I shall see you next chapter.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: In Her Shadow

 **Warning: This chapter contains dark themes such as death and injury. Reading discretion is advised.**

...

Pain...it hurt...head hurt...

Strawberry placed a hand to her temple as her eyes adjusted to the light. She was staring up at a white wall, with white curtains to the left and right of her.

"Where am I...? She groaned.

"Strawberry! Thank goodness!" A familiar voice cried out next to her.

"Mum...?" She looked to indeed see her parent beside her, holding her hand gently.

"You and Azure were brought here after everything that happened. You were really injured." Her mother told her, making Strawberry look left to see Azure lying in a bed next to her.

"Everything that...?" Her eyes widened as her memory returned, and she sat up. "The Grimm! Rust! I have to-!"

"Strawberry! Calm down, calm down." Peach assured her. "The Grimm and that machine were driven away.

"Really?" She relaxed slightly. "That's...phew...amazing."

"You're tired, you need to rest." Peach told her.

"Is everybody else okay?" Strawberry asked.

"All fine. Any injured have already recovered." The parent assured her.

"...Where's Emin?" The child questioned further.

"...I don't know." Peach spoke truthfully. "I haven't seen him since the incident."

"You mean what happened to conclude that battle?" A voice spoke up.

"Azure? You're awake?" Strawberry had evident shock in her voice.

He turned onto his back, revealing that he was looking at his Scroll. "Been awake for a while now. Sorry, I didn't want to disturb either of you."

"What happened?" Strawberry persisted.

Azure's eyes narrowed. "Something bad...really bad." He tossed his Scroll, making it land on Strawberry's bed. "I need to go." He then sat up.

"What?" Peach gasped as he stood up and grabbed his coat from a nearby hanger.

"Ah, Azure, you still need to rest!" One of the nurses pleaded with him.

"I rest all the time. Right now, I need to do something." Azure stated, before borderline storming out of the room.

"Azure, what is...?" Strawberry picked up the Scroll and looked at it, gasping as she saw what was displayed.

It was an online article written by the Beacon Academy press squad. It was a headliner titled 'MASSIVE GRIMM CALLED BY PHILLIP PHLOX' showing a picture both of the giant Grimm that destroyed Project DARK, and Emin next to it. The comments section was completely filled with hate filled comments directed at Emin, such as 'He could kill any one of us!' and 'We should kick him out of Beacon before we all wind up dead!'.

"I need to find Emin!" Strawberry shouted suddenly, jumping out of bed and running out the door.

"W-Wait! Strawberry!?" Her mother gasped.

 _RWBY_

Meanwhile, in Ozpin's office, himself, Goodwitch, Ironwood and Qrow were discussing the dire situation. Ozpin and Goodwitch sat and stood calmly respectively, whilst Ironwood paced back and forth and Qrow tapped his foot against the floor.

Qrow was the one to break the silence; "So, are we going to address the Goliath in the room or what!?"

"Elaborate, then." Goodwith prompted.

"The, giant Grimm that appeared and wrecked Project DARK without a care in the world, the machine we've been, face it, scared of since we learned about it?" He huffed.

"Project DARK is still a threat." Ironwood insisted. "From what we saw of it, its technology and destructive capabilities far surpass anything that Atlas has been able to build. It's practically humiliating to our entire nation that one maniac can do so much more then our greatest experts."

"Oh, save your whining, will you?" Qrow rebutted. "The thing that smashed it is our main concern right now!"

"Whining!?" Ironwood growled. "I'd think carefully if I were you before making fun of-"

"That's enough, both of you." Ozpin stopped them. "Project DARK and this new Grimm are equally important matters. Until Weber Rust is captured, his machine can be revived even stronger, again and again, until perhaps, we may not be able to stop it. As for that Grimm, it is more powerful then any one we've seen before...even moreso then that one..." He glanced out of the window towards a mountain as he said that. "Given its nature, and abilities, I propose we name it..."

"Phantom."

"We don't need to give it a name, Ozpin, we need to kill it!" Qrow emphasised.

"A name gives meaning and focus." Ozpin explained. "Something with a name we can easily identify as a greater threat then something without."

"It will also make it easier to give this information to the other kingdoms quickly and efficiently." Goodwitch supported the notion.

Qrow frowned. "Tch...fine, whatever."

Ironwood coughed. "Ozpin...with these recent events I think I should-"

"Ozpin!"

The quartet turned to the door as Azure shoved open the door and stomped into the office.

"What are you doing here, Azure!? We're having an important meeting!" Ironwood told him.

"Like I care!" Azure ignored him as he marched straight up to Ozpin's desk and slammed his hands down on it. "The heck is all this, Ozpin!? Have you seen what everybody is saying about Emin!? 'Necromancer'? 'Monster'? 'Murderer'!? How could you let this happen!?"

"Azure." Ozpin spoke calmly. "I'm a headmaster. Not a magician. I can only speak and act as much as possible, I cannot sway the minds of others as easily as you think."

"Do something more!" Azure yelled, slamming his fists onto the desk. "Shut down Beacon's internet! Block users! Do SOMETHING to stop all this!"

"You know full well I can't do any of those things, Azure." Ozpin kept his tone of voice.

"But this can't, happen!" Azure asserted. "After everything he's gone through...after all this time...it's not fair, Ozpin!"

"...I'm sorry, Azure. I truly am." Ozpin spoke. "But, just like back then...I cannot do anything." Everything was still for a moment as Azure calmed down.

"Azure. We are in the middle of a meeting. Please leave." Goodwitch said.

"Quiet. You have no right to talk." Azure snapped back as he retreated from the table. "You hated him ever since that day. Don't deny it." Goodwitch flinched from the comments as he turned and walked back to the door, but stopped just before he left.

"Emin doesn't deserve any of this. Hasn't he suffered enough?" Azure told them, before he closed the door.

There was another pause. "...That...brings me onto my point, Oz." Ironwood spoke carefully. "With the still present threat of Project DARK, I would like to request that Strawberry assist in a response program. She is a natural prodigy, as I'm sure you know, and-"

"I'll allow it, Ironwood." Ozpin interrupted him, speaking with strained formality.

"Y-Yes, thank you, Oz..." He cleared his throat. "And also...I...feel as though, with these new threats, Phillip Eminence Phlox may not be safe here currentl-"

"Allow me to stop you again." Ozpin stopped him once more. "I understand your concern, Ironwood...but, Emin will not be going anywhere." He looked up with grim seriousness. "I will protect Emin until I draw my last breath. You have no reason to doubt that."

"Right...of course..." Ironwood nodded, and they all fell silent once more.

 _RWBY_

The door to Team SEA's room was locked. It was dark inside.

A figure was hunched over in the corner, curled up into themselves as they sobbed softly into their knees.

A light knock could be heard against the door. "Emin...can you hear me...?" The figure tightened their grip around themselves. "Emin...will you come out...?"

Standing outside the door, Strawberry had her hands placed against it, as she leant her head against the white wood. "Please...Emin...please come out...don't you hear me...? Please..."

Azure then rounded the corner, but stopped when he saw her. "Strawberry..."

She turned her head towards him, tears running down her face, before she hugged him tightly. "Azure...he's in our room...he won't come out..."

"Strawberry..." Azure held her tightly.

"It's just like it was 10 years ago..." Strawberry sobbed. "After how far he's come, Azure...for this to happen now...it-it's not fair..."

"I know...I know..." He stroked her head to try and comfort her.

Slowly, the other doors along the hall opened up, to reveal Ruby and Nora peeking out of their respective rooms.

"Ruby! What are you doing!?" Weiss hissed. "Can't you tell its a private conversation!?"

"But, all of them are really upset...I just wanted to see what was wrong." Ruby defended herself.

"We can hear you, y'know." Azure called out to both teams. "You might as well come out."

Both Team RWBY and JNPR awkwardly exited their rooms, the eight members filling the corridor.

"We read what everybody was posting online." Blake said. "It's...horrible for them to say such things about Emin."

"He, he is in there, right?" Jaune asked.

Strawberry wiped her tears and turned towards them. "Yes...Emin is in there. He used to do this when things got...particularly bad."

"Do you mean to say, that people have ridiculed him so harshly before?" Ren asked.

"Yes...many, many times..." Strawberry nodded.

"Strawberry..." Azure whispered.

"Azure, I...I think they deserve to know the truth." Strawberry told him.

"What truth?" Pyrrha asked.

Strawberry looked at them all individually. "Do any of you know...why Grimm are so attracted to Emin?"

"Why?" Yang echoed. "I always thought...well, I didn't know what to think."

"It's...actually a lot simpler then you think." Strawberry nodded. "Why are Grimm attracted to people normally?"

"Uh...bad emotions...right?" Nora guessed.

"That's right." Strawberry confirmed. "So, then...can you tell me why Grimm are so attracted to Emin?"

"...Wait, you can't mean...?" Weiss spoke up.

"I do." Strawberry lowered her head. "Every day, every hour, every minute, every second...Emin despises his own existence. He curses the fact that he is alive. He burdens himself with self-loathing and self-hatred, always in pure sorrow."

"That...that can't be true!" Jaune gasped. "You...you just can't do that, right? Right?"

"I'm afraid so..." Strawberry sighed. "10 years ago...Emin did something which he has never forgiven himself for...something which caused everybody in Vale to turn against him, and hate him for all these years..."

"But...that...what could be so horrible for that to happen?" Ruby gaped.

"...Did you know that, Emin had an older sister?" Strawberry asked.

"Viola Phlox." Pyrrha nodded.

"Yes..." Strawberry nodded. "It all happened when the two of them first appeared at Beacon Academy..."

 _RWBY_

 _A storm had descended on Beacon Academy. Rain mercilessly battered against the ground as thunder roared across the sky, lightning lighting up the heavens in split-second intervals._

 _There was a heavy, frantic knock at the door, filled with desperation. A passing student looked at the door curiously, before pulling it open._

 _Hunched over in the rain was a girl with long purple hair and light green eyes wearing a cloak to protect her from the rain. Clutching to her desperately was a young boy with short, dark purple hair and emerald green eyes._

 _"Please! Please help my brother!" The girl pleaded._

 _"No, Viola!" The boy cried._

 _"He's just a child! You have to help him! Take him inside! Please!" The girl begged._

 _The student brought the two of them to Ozpin's office, where they were set down on chairs and wrapped in cloths, seated in front of the headmaster._

 _"Thank you so much for your hospitality." The girl bowed._

 _"Thank you." The boy copied her._

 _"I'm glad you are both alright." Ozpin nodded. "May I ask for your names?"_

 _"My name is Viola Phlox, pleased to meet you." The girl greeted him. "And this is my younger brother, Phillip Eminence Phlox. But, just call him Emin, he likes being called that."_

 _"Hello." He waved at Ozpin._

 _"What were you doing outside on a night like this?" Ozpin asked them._

 _"We were travelling...looking for a place to rest." She told him._

 _"Don't you have a home to return to? Are you runaways?" He went on._

 _"Unfortunately not...sir." Viola hung her head. "Our home...we were just simple farmers, and we were raided by Grimm...our parents were killed, and I only managed to escape with Emin." Emin began to whimper from the short story, making Viola hold him tightly._

 _"I'm sorry to hear that. You have my condolences." Ozpin nodded. "So where were you planning on heading, then?"_

 _"I...In all honesty sir...I have no idea." Viola admitted. "There is nowhere else we can go. Everything we ever knew is destroyed now."_

 _"I see..." Ozpin leaned back in his chair. "In that case, I would like to make a proposal. I'm willing to give you and your brother some residence here, seeing as you have nowhere else to go."_

 _"S-Sir, that is, incredibly kind of you. But we wouldn't want to impose, or cause you any trouble. Perhaps it is better if we just leave." She said._

 _"Violaaaaa!" Emin whined._

 _Ozpin pondered for a moment. "Hmm, well in that case, perhaps you could think of it like this; you can stay here until you are strong enough to make your own way in the world, and decided where you wish to go, as a student here. Does that sound more fair?"_

 _Viola's eyes widened, before they were filled with tears. "That would be, amazing...thank you so much!"_

 _"Thank you!" Emin copied her._

"And so...Viola and Emin came to live here, and she became a student." Strawberry remembered.

 _"Hiiii!" A young Strawberry waved. "So you're Viola, huh? It's so nice to meet you!"_

 _"I'm Azure." A young Azure bowed. "So we're all going to be taking the Entrance Exam? I hope we do well."_

 _"Yes, I hope so, too." Viola smiled, as Emin hid behind her legs, clinging to her tightly. "Say hello to our roommates, Emin."_

 _"...Hello." He waved meekly._

 _"Awwww, he's adorable!" Strawberry cooed, making Viola laugh._

 _"I'm not cute!" Emin huffed, crossing his arms in anger._

"We were all scheduled to take the Entrance Exam. And yet, just before that day, Viola went on a walk through the woods..."

 _"It's so beautiful out here..." She breathed to herself, looking around at the trees. However, she froze when she saw a figure lying against a tree. A young man with scruffy dark blonde hair, clutching his side in pain as he was dressed in nothing but rags. A young Leo Gold._

 _"Oh my goodness! Are you okay!?" Viola gasped._

 _As soon as he locked eyes with her, his gaze sharpened and he tried to shuffle away from her. "Stay away from me, human!"_

 _"Hey, hey, it's okay..." She spoke calmly. "You're a Faunus, right? I promise I won't hurt you. You're badly injured." She slowly appraoched him, hands held out. "Just...let me-"_

 _"STAY AWAY!" He suddenly slashed at her face with sharp fingernails, leaving three claw marks across the left side of her face, bleeding badly._

 _"...It's okay...I know you're scared." He froze as Viola winced from the pain, but made no effort to retaliate, and showed no anger. "But...I promise...I want to help."_

 _Leo's posture softened as Viola knelt down and placed both hands against his wound. A soft glow emanated from her hands as his wound closed up._

 _"...How did you do that?" Leo mumbled._

 _"It's my Semblance. Pure." Viola explained. "It allows me to heal anything around me...though, not myself."_

 _"...Sorry." He looked away guiltily from the claw marks on her face._

 _"It's no problem at all." She told him. "Are you alright now? Do you have anywhere to go?"_

 _"...I was...chased out of my home. Injured." He told her._

 _"Ah. I see why you hate me then." Viola nodded, holding out her hand. "If you have nowhere else to go, do you want to come with me?"_

 _Leo looked at her hand, and slowly accepted it. "I don't have many options right now."_

 _She giggled as she helped him to his feet. "Good to know." The two of them then walked back to Beacon together._

 _RWBY_

 _"And the next Team formed is...Team SLVA! Consisting of Strawberry Peach, Leo Gold, Viola Phlox, and Azure Bolt!"_

 _Emin in the audience cheered loudly as his sister and her teammates went up on stage, though Strawberry was shaking in her boots._

 _"Ohhhh, why did Ozpin make ME leader!?" She whimpered._

 _"It had to be you, Strawberry!" Viola coaxed. "You'll be an awesome leader!"_

 _"I really hope so!" She cried._

 _Leo, meanwhile, looked really uncomfortable up on stage, until Strawberry rested a hand on his shoulder, making him smirk._

"Viola was the best Hunter in the school...everybody loved her."

 _"Haaaaa!" Viola swung a bo staff, smashing a dummy into pieces._

 _"8.46 seconds. A new record, Ms. Phlox." Goodwitch complimented her._

 _"Thank you, Ms. Goodwitch!" Viola bowed._

 _"Wooooo! Awesome work, Viola!" All the classmates cheered._

 _"She really is amazing!" Another member cried._

 _Viola jumped off the stage to meet Strawberry, Azure and Leo. "Excellent job as usual." Leo smiled._

 _"Thanks, Leo." She returned the smile._

 _"Viooooooolaaaaaaa!" Emin cried as he ran into her arms._

 _"There's my little bro!" She laughed, lifting the boy into the air and spinning her around. "Have you been good for everybody?"_

 _"Yup!" He beamed proudly. "Viola, I'm gonna be a Hunter just as strong as you someday!"_

 _"Really? I look forward to it! Buuut, just focus on being a good kid right now, 'kay?" She hugged him._

 _"Hey, Viola! I got a present for you!" Strawberry held out a giant mechanical paintbrush from behind her back. "Ta-da! Here it is! Rainbow Wish! I designed it to use ALL types of Dust in the best way possible!"_

 _"Wow!" Viola let Emin down and held the weapon, swinging it around. "Strawberry, you really are incredible! Thank you!"_

 _"Awww, it was nothing!" She blushed._

 _"She's right. You really are a whizz with weapons." Leo agreed, flexing his silver mechanical claw._

 _"The best there ever was." Azure nodded in agreement._

 _"You guuuuuys! Stop it!" Strawberry blushed tomato red._

"Everything was perfect...but then..." Strawberry looked down at the floor. "But then that day...we were going out on a mission together..."

 _"Uuuuugh..." Viola rubbed her eyes._

 _"Viola, are you okay?" Leo asked in concern._

 _"Yeah, just a little tired..." She admitted. "I've got chores to do after we get back from this mission."_

 _"Why on earth did you take the job as the janitor?" Azure questioned, lying on his bed, whilst Strawberry bounced a happy Emin up and down on her knee. "Just more work."_

 _"No, you're just lazy." Strawberry said._

 _"Yeah! Laaaaaaaazy!" Emin took sides._

 _"It's fine as long as I provide as much help as possible...I want to be as helpful as I can." Viola said._

 _"Still, you shouldn't run yourself ragged." Leo frowned._

 _"I can do your chores, Viola!" Emin suddenly offered._

 _"Emin, thank you for the offer, but it's a lot of work." Viola told him._

 _"I can do it! I'm a man, aren't I? And I want to help you! I've seen you do it all the time before!" Emin persisted._

 _"Let your brother do it, Viola." Leo agreed. "It'll lighten the load off your shoulders."_

 _Viola sighed. "Okay...but, Emin, if it's too much for you, just wait for me to come back, right?"_

 _"I know, but I'll do it all!" Emin proclaimed._

 _"Good boy." She smiled lightly as she grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and wrote some chores down. "Here, these are my jobs for today."_

 _"On it!" Emin saluted as we accepted the paper._

 _"Alright then, team! Time to go on our mission!" Strawberry declared as she pulled Azure out of bed._

 _"Yeah, yeah..." He yawned._

 _"Be good, Emin." Viola told him._

 _"I will! Promise!" He told them as the team and the boy headed out the door and went down opposite corridors._

 _"I hope he'll be okay..." Viola breathed._

 _"He'll be fine. Worry about yourself for once." Leo told her._

 _For the rest of the day, young Emin set to work cleaning the corridors and handing out leaflets to students, eventually coming to the last job, looking quite tired._

 _"Soooo tireeeed..." He groaned, scanning the list. "I've gotta clean the library?" He walked in and looked around the large room, empty save for the librarian deep in her work. "Awwwwww, this will take forever!"_

 _He dragged the mop along behind him into the middle of the room, but before he started, he noticed the blue Dust used in the middle of the mop, and got an idea. "That's it!"_

 _He ran back to the janitors closet and got a bucket out of the corner, before going to the pipe and dispersing blue Dust into the bucket until it was full, before straining to pick it up and carry it back to the library, where he dumped it right into the middle of the room._

 _"Now all the floor will get washed super quick!" He cheered, before triumphantly raising the mop over his head, ready to thrust it down into the dust._

 _A student was walking past the library doors, when all of a sudden water burst out and knocked him back as the wash reduced itself to a dribble out of the doors, to reveal a very wet library._

 _"Owww..." Emin spluttered as he sat at the back of the room, soaking wet._

 _"The books!" The librarian cried as she picked up many scattered, soggy books, their pages splatting down into the giant puddle that was the library floor. "All of the lower shelf editions are ruined!"_

 _"Uh oh..." Emin shrunk into himself._

 _At that point, Team SLVA returned from their mission. "Geez...those Grimm were NOT easy..." Azure admitted._

 _"Uuuuoooogh...I'm exhausted." Viola mumbled._

 _"Need...bed..." Strawberry agreed._

 _Leo, meanwhile, noticed several students running around, and grabbed one of them by the shoulder. "Hey, what's everybody doing?"_

 _"There was a flood in the library, everybody's checking it out!" He told them._

 _"The library..." Viola echoed. "Emin!" She ran off in the direction of all the other students._

 _A crowd had gathered outside the library door, as Viola pushed her way through the crowd to see A tearful Emin being scolded by Goodwitch._

 _"Using Dust so irresponsibly! What on earth were you thinking!?" Goodwitch berated him._

 _"I...I..." Emin cowered, tears building in his eyes._

 _"Goodwitch!" Viola went up to her. "What happened?"_

 _"Oh, Viola..." Goodwitch adjusted her glasses. "Your brother used far too much Dust in his cleaning, and caused a flash flood that has completely ruined a vast majority of the books in the library. Damage costs are extremely high for something like this, it cannot go unpunished."_

 _"I-I understand that. I'll see what I can do in terms of contribution to the damages." She told her sheepishly, before kneeling down next to Emin with a stern look. "Emin, what in Remnant were you thinking? I told you to wait for me if you were having trouble!"_

 _"B-But...I was tired...an-and I just wanted to get it done..." Emin sobbed._

 _"Well, I'm tired too!" Viola cried. "And for you to go and do something like this...! It's going to cost us a lot, Emin! We might get kicked out over this! Did you think about any of this before you went and did something ridiculous!?"_

 _"I...I..." Tears were streaming down his face as his body began to glow purple and green._

 _"Emin...?" Viola breathed as the light grew stronger, until he disappeared in a flash of rainbow colours. "Emin!?"_

 _"Did...he just use his Semblance!?" Azure gasped._

 _"It was probably teleportation or something. It reacted in response to his emotions." Strawberry theorised._

 _"Emin!? Emin, where are you!?" Viola called as she pushed through the crowd and went looking for him._

 _"Viola, wait!" Leo gasped._

 _"Let's go look too!" Strawberry coaxed the remaining teammates as they all fanned out._

 _"Emin!? Emin!?" Viola echoed throughout Beacon, eventually running outside, into the forest. "Emin, please, say something if you can hear me!"_

 _She desperately looked through the sea of trees for any sign of her brother, until she could hear quiet sobbing. She pushed through the shrubbery to find him huddled up against a tree. "Emin..."_

 _"I didn't mean it!" He cried out. "I didn't mean to do any of that! I'm sorry! Just stop shouting at me!"_

 _"Oh, Emin..." Viola sat down and gently pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry, too...I shouldn't have shouted at you. I've just been so tired lately. I know you would never do something bad deliberately."_

 _"Have...Have I ruined everything?" He whimpered as Viola stroked his head calmly._

 _"No, no...I'll sort this out, somehow, I promise." She soothed him. "Everything will be okay. Ozpin will understand. But please, don't run away and scare me like that."_

 _"I won't." Emin nodded. "I just wanted to be away from all the loud noises...and then I was here."_

 _"It was your Semblance." She told him. "I never thought you'd have one at your age. You are really incredible, Emin."_

 _"...Really?" He whispered._

 _"Really." She confirmed. "C'mon, everybody is probably worried about us. Let's go back." She rose with him in her arms, but froze as she could hear growling._

 _Beowolves began emerging from within the woods, snarling viciously as they approached the siblings._

 _"Viola..." Emin clutched onto his sisters clothes in fear._

 _"Don't be afraid, Emin." She told him, when in fact she was very scared herself. "I'll deal with this." Using her free hand, she pulled Rainbow Wish from her back, whilst clutched her brother tighter to her with her other arm._

 _One of the Beowolves jumped at her fangs first, but she quickly struck it over the head, knocking it back. She took the chance to flick the giant paaintbrush, changing the colour on its brush to red, before a stream of fire burst from the end, turning the brush into a flamethrower and making all the Grimm flee in terror._

 _She turned to run, only to find several Creep's behind her. Thinking quickly, she put Emin down behind a bush. "Emin, stay here until I come and get you, okay?"_

 _"No, don't go, Viola!" Emin pleaded._

 _"I'll be fine. Promise." She patted him on the head before turning to face the Creeps._

 _The first three charged forward, but Viola flicked the brush again, changing the colour from red to green, before she held it out as a strong vacuum force pulled the front Grimm onto it and stuck it tightly to the end, making it thrash around in vain before she fired it back at the other two as ammo, knocking all three back into a nearby rock._

 _She flicked the brush again, changing the colour to brown, just before stones formed into giant spikes around the brush, changing it into a mace which she swung into the group of Grimm, launching them far back with guttural cries of pain._

 _The remaining ones flinched as she flicked the brush once more, making the rocks on the end fall away as its colour changed to yellow and she aimed it forward, looking through a scope attached to the side of it. A strong laser made of electricity fired from the end, shocking all the Creeps and making them collapse to the ground unconscious, as the rest of them fled._

 _Viola panted heavily as the last ones ran, before looking around for any more. "Hah...I think that's all of them...hah..."_

 _However, it was then that she felt a presence behind her. Freezing in fear, she slowly turned, to come face to face with a giant Grimm, with large black wings, oozing black miasma from its body. It could only be described as some kind of demonic dragon._

 _"No way...this thing..." Immediately on the defensive, Viola flicked her brush to change the colour to blue and fired a giant bubble from the brush that violently exploded into water in the Grimm's face, making it recoil before it led out a horrid, angry roar in rage, and descend upon her._

 _Emin, who had been watching, was knocked back by the force of the impact, and curled up into a ball as the sounds of explosions, breaking trees and roaring filled the air whilst twigs, leaves and stones fell all over him, making him squeeze his eyes shut, begging it to stop._

 _After what felt like an eternity, there was a beating of wings, a large explosion, the sound of rubble falling, then silence._

 _As slowly as possible, Emin uncurled out of the fetus position, and looked around. Several trees had been broken, some soggy, some charred, whilst the ground had several deep claw marks in it. He turned around and gasped at what he saw._

 _A large clearing had been made by the battle, with trees broken all around as the ground had been crushed flat. Lying in the center of the battlefield was Viola, Rainbow Wish lying next to her._

 _"Viola...Viola!" Emin quickly ran to her side, scrambling over trees and rocks until he knelt at her side. "Viola! A-Are you okay!?" He recoiled in shock as he saw blood from a deep claw wound in his sisters side. "V-Viola! Say something!"_

 _She exhaled soflty, as her eyes fluttered open. "...Emin..." She hissed in pain as she clutched her side. "You're...You're safe...I'm so glad..."_

 _"V-Viola..." Emin wept. "I'm sorry...if I hadn't come out here, then you wouldn't...you wouldn't be..."_

 _"It's okay...Emin..." She lifted her hand up and wiped away his tears, smiling softly as he held her hand to her face. "It's not your fault...you're a good boy..."_

 _"Viola...I-I'm gonna help!" He told her, when in actual fact, he had no idea what to do, and was scared out of his mind._

 _But, she slowly shook her head. "Emin...I'm so sorry...but you can't help me..."_

 _"Don't say that!" He cried. "You're gonna be okay, Viola! You HAVE to be okay! We're gonna go back together, right? RIGHT!?"_

 _"No, Emin...it's selfish of me, but...this is where I have to say goodbye." She told him softly._

 _"Goodbye...? W-Why...?" Emin whimpered. "I don't want to say goodbye, Viola! I-I had to say goodbye to Mummy and Daddy...not you, too!"_

 _"It's going to be alright..." She told him. "You're going to be okay...I wish I could say sorry to Ozpin, but...no regrets..."_

 _She smiled warmly, her eyes filled with tears. "Emin...you are...going to be...truly amazing...my baby brother..."_

 _"...I love you..."_

 _As the words left her lips, her hand fell from his face._

 _And she was still._

 _"...Viola?" Emin lightly shook her body. "Viola?" He shook her more violently. "Viola!"_

 _"Wake up! Wake up, Viola!" He cried desperately, shaking her body. "You can't...you can't die, Viola!"_

 _He sobbed heavily as he shook her again and again, as if by some miracle it would rouse her._

 _"Please! Please don't die, Viola!"_

 _He froze as he stared down at her body, choking on his tears as he buried his head in her clothes. "VIOLA! VIOLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"_

 _At that moment, Ozpin, Goodwitch, the remainder of Team SLVA and most of Beacon ran forward to find the child crying over his sister. "No..." Ozpin breathed._

 _"Viola!" Strawberry screamed._

 _"No...she can't..." Azure breathed in disbelief._

 _"Viola..." Leo fell to his hands and knees in shock. "NO!" He curled up into himself as he cried._

 _"How could this happen...? We saw that dragon attacking, why couldn't we have got here sooner!?" Goodwitch cursed._

 _"Viola's...dead?" The students were all in horror._

 _"...Take Emin away from here. He doesn't need to see any more." Ozpin told the other team members, making them nod._

 _"No! NO!" Emin only clung onto her body as Azure tried to pry him from his last loved one._

 _"Emin, I'm sorry!" Strawberry said as she yanked him away and held him tight._

 _"NOOOOOO!" He thrashed around in a vain attempt to escape. "VIOLAAAAAAA!" Azure and Strawberry hurriedly took him away, and back to Beacon._

"That day...Viola died...but it was only the beginning of Emin's sorrow..."

 _"Leo! Stop and think about this!" Azure shouted._

 _"There's nothing to think about!" Leo replied, slamming his trunk shut. "There's nothing left for me here anymore, so I'm leaving!"_

 _"Nothing left!? What about us!?" Azure shouted, gesturing to Strawberry, who was comforting a still grieving Emin._

 _"Too many horrid memories...I cannot help Faunus locked up in this school!" Leo retorted._

 _"Don't go changing your reasons on a whim!" Azure yelled, following the Faunus out of the room. "You're not even going to attend Viola's funeral!?"_

 _He flinched at that. "Absolutely not...I couldn't bear it...farewell, Azure." He then continued walking._

 _"Leo! LEO!" Azure shouted after him, but to no avail. He was gone._

 _RWBY_

 _"Come on, Emin..." Strawberry held Emin's hand as she led him outside of Beacon. "I know it still hurts...but its been a week since Viola-" She bit her bottom lip. "...You need to get outside, okay?"_

 _Emin didn't respond, but let her lead him out into the field._

 _"See? Isn't this nice, Emin? It's such a beautiful day today." She smiled._

 _Emin remained silent._

 _"Emin..." Strawberry sighed sadly._

 _Just then, there was a sudden growling, as Beowolves emerged from within the woods, advancing on the pair of them._

 _"What? Grimm? Why are they advancing so close? This isn't like them at all..." Strawberry thought aloud._

 _However, as soon as he saw the Grimm, Emin grabbed onto Strawberry's leg. "Strawberry! Run!"_

 _"What?" She was taken aback by his sudden outburst._

 _"Run, Strawberry!" He begged. "Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, RUN!"_

 _"Okay, okay!" She assured him as she picked him up and ran back to Beacon, the Beowolves trailing her right to the front door. "Why are they this persistent!?"_

 _"Strawberry! Emin!" Azure stepped out the door and fired a blast of air from his scepter, throwing the Beowolves back and making them retreat. "Are you two okay?"_

 _"Yes, thank you Azure." Strawberry nodded as Emin hugged her tightly, shaking with fear._

 _"What was up with those things? They never come this close!"_

 _"I don't know..." Strawberry whispered, looking down at Emin, his eyes wide in horror._

 _RWBY_

 _"C'mon, Emin." Strawberry said, pulling him towards the girls bathroom in the Beacon corridor._

 _"Strawberry, I don't want to go into the girls bathroom." Emin resisted._

 _"But I need to keep an eye on you." Emin frowned at her reasoning, making her sigh. "...Okay. You can wait out here. But stay right here, and don't move. I'll be as quick as possible." She hurried into the room as Emin leaned against the wall._

 _Yet it was at that moment when three older males were walking down the hall, and spotted him. "There he is!"_

 _Emin flinched and tried to run, but was instantly picked up by the scruff of his shirt and slammed against the wall._

 _"You little runt! It's all your fault Viola's dead!" The one holding him against the wall yelled into his face._

 _"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Emin cried out._

 _"You should have been the one to die that day, you little failure! You couldn't hold a candle to Viola!" The second one yelled._

 _"I didn't mean to...! I didn't want her to die!" Emin shouted._

 _"HEY!" The three of them froze as Strawberry burst out of the bathroom, pointing Requited Love at the them. "You stay away from Emin you scumbags! Or I'll feed you to my plants! Got it!?"_

 _"Whatever!" The leader tossed Emin at her and ran for it with his goons, thankfully she was able to catch him._

 _"Emin! Are you alright!?" Strawberry gasped._

 _"I didn't mean to, Strawberry!" He cried._

 _"It's okay, I know...I know..." She hugged him tightly._

 _RWBY_

 _It was late at night. Emin was awake in his bed. He hadn't slept well for a month. He always had nightmares._

 _He sat up in bed and walked out into the hallway, down to Strawberry and Azure's room. He quietly opened the door to see them both asleep, before he looked over at the workbench the leader used._

 _Sitting on top of it was a prototype for a new weapon she was developing. A shuriken using wind Dust for rotation._

 _Quietly, Emin took the weapon off of the table, and sneaked out._

 _Later that night, Strawberry's eyes fluttered ope, as she thought she heard something. Sitting up, she listened closely, and heard a faint sound that was similar to crying._

 _"Emin...?" Groggily, she got out of bed. "He must be having another nightmare..."_

 _She walked into his room, only to find the bed empty, making her gasp. "Emin!?"_

 _Suddenly, she heard another cry and whipped around, running in the direction she thought she heard it came from, eventually coming out onto the balcony, where her eyes widened._

 _Flinching, a young Emin tossed the weapon into the sky, where it spun wildly and did a U-turn, coming back to him at a fast rate._

 _"EMIN!" Strawberry shouted, but it was too late._

 _There was a slashing sound and a scream of pain as blood spurted from Emin's body onto the ground, as the shuriken clattered to the ground, its brilliant metal stained red with the child's blood._

 _Strawberry ran over to him in an instant. "Emin! What are you doi-" She recoiled in horror when she got close._

 _Emin was sobbing strongly, tears falling like waterfalls from his eyes. His arms were completely covered in deep, ugly gashes from where the shuriken had sliced into his flesh again and again. Blood streamed down from the wounds, covering both his arms in crimson as a puddle formed at his feet._

 _"Oh my god, Emin..." Strawberry breathed in horror, before she tore the sleeves off of her pajamas and wrapped them around his arms, in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. "Emin, why...why in Remnant...?"_

 _At that moment, Azure ran out. "Strawberry! What is-!?" He froze as soon as he saw the state Emin was in._

 _"Azure! Go and get the medical team, now!" Strawberry yelled at him, but he remained frozen. "AZURE!" He snapped out of his stupor and quickly ran back into the building._

 _She then looked at Emin again. "Emin...why on earth would you do this...?"_

 _"St...Strawberry..." Emin sobbed as the blood dripped off his fingers. "I want to be strong...like Viola was...but I'm not! I'm not, Strawberry! I'm...I'm so useless and pathetic! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"_

 _"Oh, Emin..." Strawberry wept as she pulled him into a tight hug as he cried into the night._

 _RWBY_

"Emin's scars run deeper then any of us can imagine..." Strawberry wiped away the tears that had built up in her eyes. "He lost the last remaining family he had, and blamed it on himself. As everybody around him hated him, he hated himself...it's been nothing but a giant cycle of disgust that Emin is trapped within. And even though Viola's memory may have left with many old students...bullying of Emin hasn't."

"That's horrible..." Pyrrha breathed.

"I didn't realise, that Emin had suffered so much..." Weiss breathed.

Blake looked down at the ground, finding the situation somewhat similar.

"Every day...I see that self-hatred in his eyes." Strawberry nodded. "And now something like this has happened...it's just too awful..."

She choked back her tears. "And just when things were starting to get better too."

"Better?" Yang echoed.

Strawberry smiled. "What? You haven't noticed it?"

"What is it?" Ren asked.

She looked at all of them. "Whenever he's with you all...or Velvet, or even Penny...that hatred behind his eyes...it disappears. Even if it's for a short time...he doesn't hate himself. And it's all because you all are around him..." She gave a mix between a laugh and a sob. "I don't know whether I should thank you or be really jealous of you...you all have done what I've been trying to do for ten years...in the matter of a few months...!"

"You couldn't have done any better." Azure assured her, as he rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Emin..." Ruby mumbled.

Just then, there was a clicking sound, and everybody turned to the door.

It slowly creaked open, and Emin stepped out, his head hung low.

"Emin...?" Strawberry breathed.

"Were you listening?" Azure asked.

Slowly, he wiped his face. "I...I..."

He looked up with tired eyes and a weak smile. "I think...I'm going to be okay."

"Oh...Emin!" Strawberry and Azure hugged him tightly.

"Emin!" Team RWBY and JNPR all surrounded SEA in a big group hug.

"As long as I have everybody...I'll be just fine." Emin spoke, more to himself then everybody else.

At the same time, Velvet was leaning against the wall around the corner, crying softly into her hands at what she overheard. She wiped her tears away slowly, before turning to walk away.

Just then, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her in a hug from behind. "Thank you, Velvet."

 _RWBY_

 _"Excuse me...? Is...this seat...taken...?" A Faunus asked a young man._

 _"...No." He said._

 _"C-Can I sit here...?" She asked._

 _"You want to sit next...to me?" He questioned._

 _"Y-Yes...if that's alright." She nodded._

 _"...Okay." He agreed._

 _"Th-Thank you..." They sat together in silence for a long time, until she spoke up. "...What...What's your name?"_

 _"...Phillip. Phillip Eminence Phlox. But...I prefer Emin." He told her._

 _"Okay...Emin...I'm, Velvet." She waved lightly with a smile, and he returned it._

 _RWBY_

And in an instant, Emin had teleported back into the center of everybody else, leaving Velvet to smile and carefully walk away.

"Thank you, everybody!" He smiled as big as he could.

'Viola...can you see me?' He thought. 'I wonder what you would say if you could...but, knowing you...I bet it would be something like...'

'...You are amazing.'

 **Volume 2: Pain...FIN**

 **So, there it is. Emin's tragic backstory. I'm not gonna lie, I cried myself writing this.**

 **Emin is constantly in the shadow of Viola, who was popular, powerful, and loved. If she is the Mary Sue, Emin is the unloved. He is based off of the Wizards' Apprentice from fairy tales, and he is imperfect. Brilliantly, imperfect.**

 **He is my character, and this is my story about him. And it will continue into Volume 3, and 4, and maybe even beyond.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it. feedback is appreciated more then you could ever know. Thank you for reading.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: First Round

 **Volume 3: LIFE**

Wish me luck...

If you're watching over me...

I will do my best...

I promise you...

Viola...

Emin placed the picture of Team SLVA in a frame next to his bed, adjusting it so that it sat perfectly. He then grabbed his jacket from his bedpost and pulled it over his bandaged arms, before walking to the foot of his bed and picking up the shuriken, Eclipse Star, that rested against it, and attaching it to his back.

He then walked over to the door and grabbed the handle. He froze for a moment, preparing himself, before taking a deep breathe, exhaling slowly, and twisting it.

He opened the door and stepped out, with the phantom echoes of jeering, booing and insulting plaguing his mind.

 _RWBY_

"And welcome back to our next exciting match of the Vytal Tournament!"

The announcement rang out loud and clear across the stadium and the sky surrounding it. Amity Colosseum. A true marvel of engineering as the magnificnt giant dome suspended itself in the high sky, the giant Dust crystal underneath it glowing with a strong light as it made energy to keep said dome floating.

"As will be the case throughout this tournament, I am your host, Peter Port." The Professor spoke into his microphone overlooking the combat arena. "Of course, I am also joined my associate, Professor Bartholomew Oobleck."

"Thank you for the formality." Oobleck smiled, pushing his glasses up his nose. "And thank you to all viewers patient enough to make it through the commercial break."

"If you're only just now joining us, the last match was between Team RWBY of Beacon Academy and Team ABRN of Haven Academy, with the result being Team RWBY's victory." Port detailed. "Now for this round, we have a very special team participating from right here at Beacon."

"That's right, Peter." Oobleck nodded. "This Beacon team is only comprised of three members, practically unheard of! The reason being is that two of its members are already qualified Huntsmen. Their leader, however, is indeed In-Training. This Team is none other, then Team SEA of Beacon Academy!"

"Meanwhile, their opposing Team is hailing from Shade Academy in Vacuo." Port continued. "This is, Team MDNT, who are actually a very successful team in Shade, they have an excellent track record of missions completed despite being In-Training."

"Sounds like this is going to be an interesting match indeed." Oobleck said.

In the corridor leading to the arena, Emin listened to the announcements with a worried expression.

'I'd never thought I'd have to face Oli's team in the first round.' He thought. 'She definitely was strong when I fought her, and now we have to face her entire team! And at a time like this...was this really the best time?'

"Hey." A reassuring hand fell on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Azure giving him a kind smile. "You'll be fine. If anyone can do this, it's you."

Emin smiled lightly. "Thanks, Azure."

The two of them walked out into the arena, Emin noticeably hunching over from the cheers that resounded out...mixed in with some jeering and booing.

"That's him, isn't it? The Catalyst?"

"I heard that he's the one who called a giant Grimm that destroyed Vale."

"You evil monster!"

Unfortunately Emin's hearing had got incredibly good after years of picking up on whispers about him. It was easy to hear the nasty comments, even among all the noise.

"Screw them all." Azure hissed, loud enough for Emin to hear. "They can only see what gets slapped in front of their faces. You and I know all the reasoning behind it, so we're all that matters."

Emin nodded as they stood outside the biodome, looking over the vast expanse of white flooring.

"Without further ado, let's...hey, hold on a second!" Port suddenly called out. "Team SEA, an already 1 less team, is missing a member!"

Emin and Azure stared to the right of them to see an outline in the air of an absent Strawberry, as the spiritual leader turned to his male Guardian. "Where's Strawberry?"

"She was right behind me when we left the room, said she just needed to sort some papers out." Azure shrugged.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Everybody looked back at the entrance as Strawberry Peach came running out, balancing a stack of papers in her arms. "I'm here! I'm here! I'm he-AH!" She suddenly tripped and fell flat on her face, causing the papers to fly into the air. "Aaaaaahhhhh! Noooooooo!"

"Strawberry, are you okay?" Emin asked.

"Don't worry, Emin, I'm fine. But my paperrrrrrs!" She whined.

Emin looked up at the papers floating around, before his arms distorted into multicoloured sparks that shot into the sky and began snatching up the individual sheets, before returing to normal as Emin now held the stack in her arms. "Here you go."

"Ah, Emin, you are my saviour, as always!" Strawberry beamed, taking the papers.

"What on earth are you doing bringing those papers here?" Azure sighed.

"I couldn't leave them in the room in case someone stole them! These are top secret!" She emphasised, carefully resting them on the ground.

"After this, I'm telling Ironwood to give you a briefcase or something." Azure sighed, tapping Chaotic Order on the papers.

"I'll just leave them outside the biodomes, I figured they wouldn't get stolen with cameras everywhere." She figured, before chucking a seed down that quickly spouted into vines that tied the papers up like a bow. "Right, sorry about that, now let's go win this thing! Go, Team SEA!"

"Right, uh, if that's everything, we'll activate the biomes now." Port announced as the white domes sunk into the ground, followed by a rumbling as a giant wasteland filled with broken, rusting, twisted metal rose up in front of Team SEA. Peering across the orange rocks, they could see the other half of the battlefield was completely metal, with several large tubes containing hovering green crystals in them dotted around the area.

"And the two biomes are Wasteland and Lab. An interesting combination to say the least." Oobleck noted.

"This will just make it an even more interesting match!" Port declared. "Now the two teams are entering the arena."

Team SEA stepped into the middle of the arena, facing Team MDNT.

"Hey, Emin." Said boy looked up at Oli. "Listen, we've been trying to stop everyone picking on ya. But you know how Vacuo is."

"Don't worry, I'm okay." Emin assured her.

"Still, that doesn't mean we're gonna go easy on ya!" Titian said. "Who'd have thought we'd be fighting in the first round, though?"

"Titian, you could try to be a little nicer." Bruno sighed. "Though, he is right. We don't plan on losing!"

"Definitely..." Was all Nhema said.

"Sounds fair. We're not gonna pull any punches either." Azure nodded.

"Get ready to feel the fulln strength of Team SEA!" Strawberry declared.

Emin pulled Eclipse Star off of his back and extended its blades in preparation.

"Alright then!" Port called. "The match will begin in 3...2...1...START!"

As soon as it began, Emin threw Eclipse Star skyward, the shuriken doing a U-turn and stabbing itself in the ground right in front of Oli's feet, as she was trying to run away. Emin instantly turned into a spark of pink and green pixels that flashed over to it and reformed in order to grab his weapon, pull it out, and swing at the opposing leader, who jumped back to dodge it.

"Wow, you got on me fast...that's annoying." Oli mumbled.

"You're a sniper. It would be bad for Azure and Strawberry if you managed to run and find a good vantage point." Emin explained as he held out his weapon.

Oli shrugged. "Fair enough. Guess this is round 2 between us then." Quickly, she aimed Golden Flash at him and fired, though Emin was expecting it and turned into a yellow and violet spark that zipped forward as the bullet flew past him and caused a large explosion on the ground where he previously stood, as he charged forward and materialised in front of Oli to swin the shuriken blades downward, forcing her to block with the barrel of her gun.

"And this time, we'll win." Emin nodded.

Oli smirked slightly. "You can try." She threw him off and went to slam him with the edge of her weapon, but he once again turned into a spark and began zipping around her, disorientating her.

Meanwhile, Azure found himself in the Wasteland area, looking around cautiously. Suddenly he heard a scream from beside him, and saw the girl, Nhema, flying towards him, blood-red hooks in her hands. He quickly extended his arm out and gravity intensified, slamming her into the ground.

"Thought you could get the jump on me, huh? Suppose this type of area is similar to your homeland isn't it?" He asked her, as she only glared up at him with angry eyes, causing him to flinch. "Geez, what's with that look? Did I kill your pet goldfish or something?"

"Raaaaaahhhh!" Nhema gave off an almost inhumane roar as she jumped backwards out of the reach of Azure's Semblance and behind some rocks.

"Oh no you don't!" Azure aimed his staff and fired a torrent of water so powerful it blasted the rock to smithereens, only to find out she wasn't behind it. "She moves quick..." His eyes began scanning the area, looking for any sign of her. "What's this feeling I'm getting? Feels like I'm being hunted by some kind of animal!"

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" His eyes suddenly shot to the left as Nhema jumnped towards him at a blinding speed.

'She's fast!' He only had time to think before he began blocking a frenzy of strikes with his staff, sparks flying with each hit. She hooked one of her daggers onto the staff and attempted to pull it out of her grip, but was unsuccessfuly, being ignorant of how heavy it truly was, and leaving Azure to swing his staff into her side, making her cry out in pain as she was sent spinning across the ground. She quickly recovered though and became hunched over, her daggers scraping against the ground like a beasts claws as her heavy breathing filled the air.

Azure kept in his battle stance as he smirked lightly. "Well...aren't you interesting?"

In the Lab side of the battlefield, Strawberry and Titian were clashing with their weapons in their knife forms. Both of them swung with precise timing and dodged just as accurately.

"Wow...you really are good!" Titian huffed. "No wonder you're the leader. But don't think I'm gonna lose! I'm the great Titian after all! Nobody can catch me off guar-!"

"You really talk too much." Strawberry said as she swung her weapon upward, knocking the blade out of Titian's hand and making it clatter behind him.

"...Er, shall we call this a tie?" Titian suggested as Strawberry went to swing with her knife again.

But then Bruno jumped forward, swinging his large sword downward. Knowing that her smaller couldn't block it, Strawberry jumped backward to dodge it, giving Titian enough breathing room to retrieve his weapon.

"What the heck, Bruno!? I had that covered!" Titian complained.

"No you didn't, so a thank you would be nice..." Bruno mumbled.

"What!? I totally did! You know me!" Titian said.

"I know that you have a tendency to get a big he-!" Bruno was interrupted as the both of them were suddenly whipped across the chest, knocking them onto their backs.

"Don't have an argument in the middle of a fight!" Strawberry chided them as she wielded her weapon in its whip form.

"This is certainly a strong battle, everybody!" Port announced.

"Indeed. Despite being one member short Team SEA are proving to be more then a match for Team MDNT." Oobleck added, as on the screen were the statistics of each fighter, with a picture of them next to a gauge of their Aura energy. Azure's and Strawberry's had only depleted a little, whilst all of Team MDNT and Emin's gauges were steadily decreasing, now only half their full.

Bruno jumped back from Strawberry's attack and turned his sword into a bow before taking aim and firing at her, but she anticipated the long range attack and dodged as Titian fired from his gun. She also switched her weapon into its gun form and fired back at him, hitting him in the shoulder and causing him to hiss in pain as his Aura up on the screen depleted by a large chunk due to it protecting him.

Thinking quickly for the safety of his teammate, Bruno noticed Strawberry was now next to one of the green canisters. Taking a gamble, he shot an arrow at her, which she dodged again, only for the arrow to hit the canister, as it unleashed a giant green explosion!

"Aaaaaaaaaagh!" Strawberry cried as she was sent sprawling across across the Zone from the force of the blow.

"Oh! It looks like Team MDNT have made use of the exploding canisters in the Lab Zone!" Port noted.

Strawberry struggled to her feet just in time to block a dagger strike from Titian. She switched her weapon to its taser form and stabbed him with it, shooting volts into his body.

"Gaaaaaaaaah!" Titian cried, but he endured the pain and slashed Strawberry in the midsection, catching her off guard just as Bruno shot another arrow that hit her in the side, bouncing off of her body thanks to her Aura but still inflicting damage. Titian then swung again with his dagger, and Strawberry was just barely able to block it before Bruno jumped down with his sword and swung, forcing her to roll backward and stand up again, staggering from her injuries.

"Alrght! We've physically weakened her! Told you we could do it!" Titian boasted.

"Our plan was to lead you into a metal Zone like this one." Bruno explained. "Your Semblance focuses on growing plants, which you can't do here. So now that you're weaker, we have the advantage."

"Huh...guess you guys have some strategy after all..." Strawberry admitted.

In the Wasteland Zone, Nhema was dashing around Azure at such a speed that she only appeared to be a black blur, as he was forced on the defensive with only just being able to block each rapid strike, coming from different directions each time.

'She seems to be getting faster and faster...' Azure thought before wincing as a slash nicked him on the shoulder. 'A nature that makes you more ferocious the more you battle...it's reckless, but in this situation, very effective. Luring me into an open area with her alone...you really did have a plan, Team MDNT. But we do too! And I'm not planning to lose!'

"Hah!" Azure suddenly thrust his staff into the ground and shot Dust out of it, causing a giant twister of green dust to explode out around him and propel him into the air, whilst Nhema was also caught in it and tossed skyward.

"You're defenceless in the air!" Azure stated as he made himself weightless before propelling himself forward with more green Dust, slamming her with the iron ball end of his scepter and making her crash into the ground, before he floated to the ground himself.

Out of the debris smoke, Nhema rose up, still holding her weapons, with a murderous look in her eyes. "Graaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgh!" She screamed before charging straight towards him.

"Ain't that terrifying?" Azure mumbled. "Time to really give these folks a show. 3...2...1!"

Suddenly, vines burst out of the barren ground and wrapped themselves around Nhema, hoisting her up into the air as she thrashed around in vain.

"What!?" Titian gasped as they saw what had happened.

"But how? Strawberry is here!" Bruno gasped.

"I tossed some seeds behind me just as the match began." Strawberry explained with a coy smile. "I figured you guys would lead me here, so I thought I'd help out Azure a bit?"

"Th-They read that far ahead in such a short time!?" Bruno cried.

"Thank Strawberry! Now it's time for me to wow the crowd!" Azure announced as he tapped his weapon at the foot of the vines, before a torrent of fire from the red Dust he expelled exploded upwards, engulfing it in a pillar of flames.

"Gyyyyyyaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhh!" Nhema screamed as she was shot as a fireball into the air, whilst other smaller fireballs exploded around here like fireworks, making several audience members marvel at the display.

"Doesn't matter! Once we take you out, we'll beat him as well!" Titian said as he shot at Strawberry, who continued to dodge.

"T-Titian!" Bruno gasped.

"What is it? Kinda busy here!" He emphasised.

"Nhema is heading straight towards us!" The deer Faunus pointed upward as their teammate fell towards them like a meteor.

"Crap! I gotta beat her quick then so we can get out o-Hey!" Titian cried out as Azure had suddenly jumped over to them and grabbed Strawberry around the waist.

"By-bye boys." She waved to them as Azure made them both wiehgtless and jumped straight out of the Lab Zone.

"Oh no." Was all Titian had time to say before Nhema crashed into the lab zone, the flames bursting out and causing a chain reaction that exploded all of the canisters around them.

"Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The three of them screamed as they were engulfed in a giant explosion, dropping all of their Aura gauges on the screen to zero instantly, as they collapsed to the ground, smoke emanating off of their bodies, but not too injured.

"I-Incredible! Azure and Strawberry have taken out three members of Team SEA in one move!" Oobleck cried! "Now it's a three-on-one fight!"

Azure and Strawberry landed in the middle between the zones, and watched as Emin and Oli continued to clash again and again. Strawberry took a step forward, but Azure placed a hand on her shoulder.

"This is Emin's fight. Let's not interfere." Azure told her, and she nodded, the both of them watching on.

The spark of light that was Emin continued to zip around before shooting towards Oli and slashing at her, forcing her to block with her rifle each time. She aimed her weapon skyward and shot a green bullet that quickly exploded, unleashing a powerful blast of air that threw the spark backward. Emin reverted back to normal as he skidded back across the ground, holding Eclipse Star in its shuriken form, before running towards her, spinning it in front of him like a shield.

"That won't work on me, Emin!" Oli cried as she shot a red bullet, but Emin once again turned into a spark and shot upwards to dodge it, whilst Azure and Strawberry had to step out of the way to avoid the bullet, as it collided with the ground and caused a massive explosion.

Emin slashed downward with his spinning weapon, but Oli stepped back and slammed the edge of her weapon into his stomach. He stood his ground and quickly reverted his weapon into its fist form, before delivering a powerful blow to her face that rattled her brain and sent her skidding back. Not letting up, Emin ran forward, dragging his weapon behind him as Oli sat up, clutching her head as an after-effect of the impact, and wasn't focused enough to see Emin jump and punch her in the gut with his fist, causing her to gasp for air. He lifted his fist to strike again, But Oli was prepared this time and rolled out of the way, struggling to her feet. On the screen, both of their Aura gauges had fallen to below half.

"The two leaders are fighting with everything they have!" Port said. "Even though Team SEA has two more leaders remaining, just the clash between those two makes it feel like their fight alone will determine everything! Don't you think so, Oobleck?"

"It may very well, Port." Oobleck nodded. "It appears that Azure and Strawberry are throwing away their own victories and betting it all on their leader to win. Soon, this match will indeed be decided."

Oli jumped back from Emin and fired a blue bullet which exploded into a wave of water, Emin made no attempt to resist it, and only dug his heels in as the water battered against him before it subsided, leaving him dripping.

"Sorry, Emin." Oli said as she loaded a yellow bullet. "I know you must be hurting...but I just don't want to lose!" She fired the bullet.

And Emin grabbed it with his giant claw, causing him to light up as electricity shocked his entire body, but he kept the bullet clenched in his weapon as he was shocked.

"Emin!" Strawberry gasped.

On the screen, Emin's gauge dropped...but stopped just before it hit the red zone.

Emin was left there panting, before he spoke. "I don't either." He looked up with a fierce glare in his eyes. "Even if everybody hates me, I don't want to lose! I don't know why but...I just don't! I want to keep winning! I..." He held his fist out as the weapon changed into its lance form. "I want my friends to see how strong I am!"

"Emin..." Oli breathed in shock, before he suddenly charged at her! She took aim, but he swung his lance and knocked her weapon to the side, throwing her aim off before he turned into a spark and slammed into her stomach, throwing her back before he turned back to normal, his gauge turning orange.

'Everybody please see me as more then a monster!' Emin begged in his head, before he swung his lance with all his might, slashing Oli across her chest, causing her gauge to drop into the orange. He then quickly sliced twice more in an x-formation, making her drop her rifle, as she collapsed onto her back from the successive strikes.

"Magnolia Majorelle's Aura has reached the red zone, which means she is out!" Port announced. "And that means, the winner of this match is Team SEA!"

there was a silence, before the crowd slowly started cheering, as Emin walked over to his opponent. "Oli, are you okay?"

"...Arrrrrgh!" She cried, making Emin jump. "...Can't believe we lost..." She sat up with a huff. "I at least wanted to get past the first round..." She then shrugged. "Ah, well...at least I lost to you, Emin."

"...Thank you?" Emin said, unsure, before he helped her to her feet, and the other members of Team MDNT joined her.

"I'm gonna be feeling that in the morning." Titian groaned.

"At least we all tired our best." Bruno nodded.

"Sorry, guys..." Nhema whispered, back to her calm self.

Azure placed a hand on Emin's shoulder. "Great job, Emin."

"Thanks, Azure." Emin smiled.

"My little Emin is the victor!" Strawberry squealed as she hugged him. "I'm soooooooooooooooooo proud of you!"

"Th-Thanks, Strawberry..." Emin gasped for air.

"Hey, let's get out of this stadium and grab a celebratory dinner." Azure suggested.

"Count me in! I'm hungry after all the work I've been doing!" Strawberry nodded.

"That sounds nice." Emin agreed.

So, Strawberry hastily gathered her papers, and Team SEA walked out victorious.

 **Yes, I'm finally back to this. It was hard for a while, returning to this. but I feel like I'm ready to continue. I don't know how long it will be until the chapter after this one has come out, but I already thank you for being so patient.**

 **And, I have been saving this chapter for a reason...today is NewComer1's birthday. He is someone who has been supporting this story from the very beginning. He is the only one who has reviewed every single chapter, and I am so grateful for his support. This chapter is dedicated to you, for being there when nobody else was. Thank you.**

 **And of course, with this new Volume, you can once again ask Team SEA questions. So if you have any, say so in the comments or in a PM.**

 **Thank you so much for reading. Reviews are are appreciated more then you could ever know. And I will see you in the next chapter.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Hard LOVE

After their victory, the trio went down to the fair in order to celebrate making it past the first round. Emin was constantly aware of people staring at him and whispering, but he felt calmer with Azure and Strawberry walking either side of him.

"I seriously need to have a word with Ironwood." Azure stated as he stared at the mountain of papers Strawberry was still carrying.

"Honestly, Azure, it's fine, I just don't want anybody getting their hands on them." She assured him.

"It's unfair of him to place all the responsibility and work on just you." He grumbled.

"Azure, I WANT to do this." She told him. "When Ironwood asked me to work on a project that can counter that idiot Weber's Project DARK, of course I wanted to build it!"

"If you say so..." Azure huffed.

"How is it going, Strawberry?" Emin asked.

"Well! It's a secret at the moment, though!" She winked, placing a finger to her lips. "Oh! Look! A noodle bar!" She quickly ran over to the stand.

"At least she's okay." Azure chuckled as they walked over.

"One sweet and sour chicken please!" Strawberry ordered.

"I'll take pulled pork." Azure said.

"Just plain for me..." Emin practically whispered.

The three of them sat on high stools as their orders were placed, but not for long, though.

"Emin!"

He spun around on his chair and saw Team CFVY walking over to them, with Velvet waving excitedly.

"Velvet." He jumped off of his chair and walked over to her.

"Congratulations on your win! You were excellent out there!" She cheered happily.

"Th-Thank you, Velvet." Emin blushed as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Coco! Looks like you're all doing well!" Strawberry beamed as she greeted the leader.

"Same to you. There's still a bit of time before our first match, so we decided to come down and see what the festivities were like." Coco nodded.

"We're gonna do our best as well so that your team doesn't show us up!" Velvet beamed at Emin.

"Y-You'll probably do better then us anyway, so you shouldn't worry." Emin replied sheepishly.

The Faunus' smile then weakened as her eyes grew sentimental. "Seriously for a second though...are you okay?"

Emin paused and listened. He could still see people staring, people whispering about him. About him. Being a monster, or some kind of sorcerer. Some were nervous, some were disgusted. All avoided eye contact.

"Nothing that I'm not used to." Emin simply responded.

"Emin...you always know, that if you ever need somebody, I will always be here for you, right?" Velvet asked.

"Of course I know that." Emin smiled. "You're my best friend, Velvet."

Her ears twitched a bit. "R-Right...b-best friends..."

"Emiiiiiiiiin! Heeeeeeeey!" Emin turned around to see Ruby waving at him with the rest of her team.

"Team RWBY, hey." Emin waved lightly, whilst Velvet secretly buried her face in her hands as she blushed.

"Congrats on your win!" Ruby smiled. "We watched you all, you guys are really amazing, y'know?"

"I must admit, Ii keep forgetting how strong you three actually are until I see you fight." Blake admitted.

"Well of course, they're super experienced after all." Weiss nodded.

"Weren't you the one worrying about them most?" Yang spoke up. "I seem to recall you crying something along the lines of 'Oh, I hope they'll be okay'."

"Be quiet, you!" Weiss turned on her all flustered.

"You four did very well too." Azure told them. "The Vytal Tournament is the best place to show off the strength of the next generation of Hunters. I can tell you caught the attention of a few respected individuals."

"That's...cool, I guess." Blake mumbled.

"Of course it is! That means we get to be famous!" Yang boasted as she put on her sunglasses. "And that means I can wear these and look super important."

"Please take those off." Weiss grumbled.

"Ah! Team SEA! Congratulations!" Just then Claire Noire walked over to them, clapping.

"Hello, Claire." Emin was noticing that their group of three had somehow turned into a small crowd.

"Claire Noire? The representative of the Vacuo government?" Strawberry gasped.

"Vacuo has a government?" Weiss tried to picture it, before Yang elbowed her for her rudeness. "Ow!"

"What's an important figure like you doing around here?" Azure asked.

"Oh please, I'm really not that important, you're making me feel all embarrassed." She laughed. "Seriously though, I just came to say congratulations! Emin, you certainly did very well out there!"

"Emin, do you know her?" Velvet asked.

"We met a couple of times before the attack on Beacon." Emin explained.

"Yes, I can definetly see why he's the leader in your team." Claire nodded. "You both must be incredible teachers."

The two guardians blushed at the comment. "W-We're not that good..." Azure mumbled.

"I just did the best I could, really..." Strawberry practically whispered.

'Who'd have thought they'd get embarrassed so easily?' Everyone else thought.

"Sorry for the wait, here you go." The owner announced as they placed three bowls down.

"Thank you very much!" Team SEA thanked him.

"Ohhhh! Are you guys ordering noodles? I'd like some!" Ruby declared.

"Do they have seafood noodles?" Blake wondered.

"Now that they mention it, I'm kinda hungry..." Velvet admitted.

"Hope you don't mind if I have some too." Claire said, despite already ordering.

So, the three teams plus the Vacuo representative ended up eating together. It was an odd party eating together to say the least.

"I just thought, does anybody know which Teams are fighting right now?" Weiss spoke up. "Team JNPR aren't scheduled yet and I can't remember who comes before them."

"I think it was...uh...mmmm..." Whilst trying to think, Coco absentmindedly ate more noodles.

"No worries, everyone, we can check on the Scrolls." Strawberry said, pulling her's out and looking at it. "Let's see...this match, the first team is Team LOVE with the leader being...WHAT!?"

Everyone jumped at Strawberry's outburst as a frown suddenly crossed her face, making them all s weat. Anyone who knew her understood that she frowned very rarely by now.

"What's wrong, Strawberry?" Azure asked.

"The leader...it's..." She held the Scroll up, revealing the dark smile of a familiar red head. "Lilith Angres!"

"Lilith Angres?" Blake echoed.

"Isn't she part of Cinder's Team?" Vlevet asked.

"We actually saw them earlier. I think they had a new member of their team...she had black hair." Ruby remembered.

"Come to think of it, Lilith wasn't with them at all, was she?" Weiss wondered.

"Why would she make her own team? What is she planning?" Strawberry pondered.

"Who are the other members of her team?" Yang asked.

Azure looked over his teammates shoulder. "Some guys named Orange, Vanilla and Eucalyptus. No last names."

"Well that isn't suspicious. Never heard of names like that before either." Coco commented.

"Hold on, I'm gonna access the live feed of the match." Strawberry began typing away on her Scroll as now everyone began crowding around her. "...Here it is."

Everyone looked as the feed showed the stadium having an ice and wetlands themed arena, as the camera zoomed in on Team LOVE.

Lilith stood there, a cocky grin on her face as her three teammates stood in front of her. They seemed to be triplets, as all three of them were tall, burly men wearing black suits with matching shoes and gloves. The only thing that differentiated them were their hair, eyes and ties, which were the same as their names. Orange's were obviously his namesake, Vanilla's were white, and Eucalyptus' were a greenish blue. The three of them stood with their arms folded behind their backs and a dead serious expression on their faces, like bodyguards.

"Wow...they're hot." Everyone looked at Yang at her comment. "What? No point denying it."

As the match began, two members of the opposite Team charged directly forward whilst the two at the sides spread out, presumably to flank them. Lilith just chuckled and pointed forward, before the three members of her team leapt into action. Vanilla ran forward towards the two charging ones, both of them shooting at him, but he practically shrugged off the bullets before he slammed both of his arms into their torsos, throwing them back onto the ground. He then jumped high and delivered a powerful punch to each of their stomachs, their Aura levels instantly dropping into the yellow zone.

"They're strong!" Velvet gasped.

One of the other members jumped towards Lilith wielding mechanical fists, but Orange intercepted him and their punches collided, with orange's surprisingly causing a large dent in the fists before he grabbed the opponents face and slammed him into the ground, The burly man then punched the helpless guy in the stomach repeatedly until his gauge dropped into the red ad he was declared defeated.

"That's brutal!" Yang hissed.

The final member aimed a bazooka at her from on top of a frozen perch and fired a giant shell. However, Eucalyptus jumped in the way and kicked the shell so hard it flew off in a different direction and then exploded into the giant ice wall behind them. Eucalyptus then ran up the ice with incredible speed before kneeing her in the gut so hard she was sent flying back and crashing into the ice, making her gauge drop down into the red.

"So fast!" Ruby marvelled.

"And the winner is Team LOVE!" Oobleck announced as the three male members resumed their original positions, with Lilith giving off a cocky wave and smile.

"She didn't even need to do anything...those three are absolutely insane! They didn't even use weapons!" Weiss cried.

"I've never seen people that strong, not even in Vacuo!" Clare commented.

"I don't think that's what we need to be worrying about." Strawberry spoke up. "Lilith didn't do anything at all, she just let those goons of hers do the dirty work...which means she's holding back. She doesn't want anyone to know anything about her fighting style yet...not her weapon, her Semblance, even her overall abilities."

"Why, though?" Blake asked.

"Most likely, because she wants to surprise someone later on, most likely in the final rounds..." Strawberry mumbled. "But why? I have a bad feeling..."

'Strawberry is really concerned about this...' Emin thought. 'Lilith Angres...she really is dangerous, isn't she?'

"It doesn't matter!" Yang spoke up. "All we gotta focus on is keep winning, right? And if any of us face her, we just take her down, yeah!?"

"Yeeeeeeah!" Ruby agreed.

"Yeah...we're definitely going to keep winning." Emin nodded more for himself then anybody else.

"It's a promise, right?" Velvet asked, pulling out her camera. "Hold on, I'm gonna take a picture."

"Hey, you need to be in the photo too, then Velvet." Coco told her as she stood up.

"It's fine, I have to the the picture, right?" She said.

"Hold up, Velvet." Emin stopped her, before dipping his arms into portals that appeared next to her, his arms appearing out of them and delicately holding the camera. "There, I can do it like this, so that you can be in the picture too!"

"Oh...um, okay! Thanks, Emin! Justt, be careful, and press that button there, okay?" Velvet pointed, with Emin nodded as she sat down beside everyone.

"Alright, alright, everyone say...crackers!" Yang said.

"Why crackers?" Blake asked.

"Because everyone says cheese, it'd make a cracking change, eh? Eh?" She elbowed the cat Faunus, making the black haired girl groan in annoyance.

"It'll do." Azure said. "Then, three, two, one..."

"Crackers!" Everyone smiled as Emin took the picture.

Velvet retrieved her camera happily. "Nice!"

"Well, I'd better return to my work." Strawberry said as she picked up her papers. "Emin, Azure, you'll be our candidates for Round 2. Azure, keep him safe. And, keep an eye on Lilith for me."

"Can do." Azure saluted.

"Good luck, Emin! I'll be cheering for you the whole time!" Strawberry smiled as she gave him a one-armed hug.

"Thanks, Strawberry." Emin said as he waved her off.

As Strawberry left them, she continued to think. 'Lilith Angres...just what kind of thing are you planning?'

 _RWBY_

Meanwhile, in Lilith's dorm room, she was talking on her Scroll. Orange, Vanilla and Eucalyptus were all lined up against the wall, their heads lowered.

"Thanks for them, Rust. these things work great!" Lilith grinned as she stared at her three teammates.

"Brilliant aren't they? Robots perfectly disguised as humans, with super strength and endurance to boot!" Weber Rust spoke down the line. "And their Aura generation through the system I installed in them makes them alive to anyone who would suspect otherwise! With them, there was no doubt you would be able to enter the Vytal Tournament singlehandedly! Honestly, that idiotic old fool thinks adding a PERSONALITY will improve them? Ha! Laughable!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're great, whatever." Lilith muttered, checking her desk, which was filled with a mix of medical and torture devices which she was cleaning. "With these guys I'll easily make it to the one v one rounds...then it will just be me and little Catalyst, Eminence Phlox."

"Once you've tormented him, Grimm will come flooding in! Add that amount to the number that Cinder's Faction plans to unleash with their own plans, there is no doubt Beacon...no, Vale, will be completely destroyed!" Rust boasted.

"And when that happens...there's no doubt that they will appear...the one we need." Lilith grinned. "Oh, I am sooooooooo going to enjoy this."

 **Finally! A new chapter! Yeah, real life and other stuff got in the way again, but her I am back with a new chapter...again! So I hope you guys enjoyed it!**

 **In terms of questions for our characters, three come from NewComer1! The first one is to everyone: 'Who would you side with? Nohr or Hoshido?'**

 **Emin: Hoshido, never abandon you're real family.**

 **Azure: Nohr, stay with people who actually cared for you.**

 **Strawberry: Nohr, they're the people you've come to love!**

 **Velvet: Hoshido, love those who love you.**

 **Ruby: Hoshido! They know their colours!**

 **Weiss: Nohr, no point going back to a home you don't know.**

 **Blake: Hoshido, it's always important to return.**

 **Yang: Hoshido! They's the cool ones!**

 **Next question is to Blake:** **'If you and a dog fanus put in the same room, what would happen? Would you two fight like a real dog and cat? (Also I will give you a tuna if you tell me what the Ninja of Love is about.)'**

 **Blake: Don't even mention what would happen! I hate them! I don't wanna go anywhere NEAR them! And...wait, HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT!? RUBY!**

 **To Velvet: 'How do I hold the camera to take a steady photograph?**

 **Velvet: Well, if you're inexperienced, just use a stand. It takes a lot of practice and incredibly steady nerves to hold one perfectly.**

 **And finally, to Strawberry: So, you do like Azure. What do you think of him? (Also be warn of the terrible things to come).**

 **Strawberry: You keep bringing this up. WHY would I be attracted to that lazy guy? He's so irresponsible and stupid and...well, he's nice, don't get me wrong, and he knows how to dance at least...makes you feel very special...sh-shut up! Oh, and don't worry...unfortunately, I know terrible things are about to happen.**

 **And that's it! If you wanna ask our characters anything, leave a comment! Sorry this one took so long guys, hopefully the next one will be out sooner! But until then, thank you all, and have a wonderful day!**


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